Once More
by Alexiel91
Summary: Taking place after the Good Ending we saw in FFX2.. Questions that seeks answers comes up as Tidus collapses in Yuna's arms moments after his arrival.. What's going on? Is the question they all ask. Read and Review please!
1. Chapter 1: A Tired Homecoming

**Once More**

**Written by Alexiel91**

_I do not own Final Fantasy X / Final Fantasy X-2, nor the worlds, settings and characters. However the story may contain parts of the games, all other is_ _made by me. Any resemblance to other fics written is purely unintentional, seeing that we all play the same game. Resemblances of theories is ought to be seen __sometimes._

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Chapter 1 - A Tired Homecoming

The surrounding atmosphere was truly an magnificant view for the eyes that afternoon. The sun, that often shined over the island of Besaid was graced as if it had never been seen before.

The bird's singing, retold ancient stories of Spira to the people in their gwaking melody. The water was a blessing of earth. Everything was magic that day, that very afternoon...or was it?

Who could tell actually? Did anyone even think about it? Or were they all to gathered up in the laughters and smiles coming from every possible side they turned to look at?

Whatever it was that they were or weren't thinking about had been put aside for this moment of happiness as they all welcomed home a hero that had been gone for 2 years.

Cheers and smiles surrounded Tidus as every villager from Besaid lined up around him to shake his hand or hug him a welcome back.

Happiest of them all was Yuna, who stood a few feet away, smiling as she eyed him with her bi-coloured eyes, watching him trying to catch up with what everyone was saying and cheering.

He had been gone for 2 long years, 2 years of sadness and agony for her...2 years she most of all wanted to forget. All she wanted to do was watch him as she did now for the rest of her life.

And how she hoped that this time he would stay for the rest of their lives, and not be taken away to the nothingness again. She had barely survived watching him disappear the first time, surely

a secong time would break her totally, inside and out. She would've been crushed, tears tried to find their way out as the thought of anything like that ocurred in her mind.

Quickly she used her hands to rub away the small tear-drops that had formed out of the corners of her eyes, right before she was joined by Rikku and Paine, along with Wakka and Lulu.

They all waited for the others to say their greetings to the hero who had returned after 2 years, so that when they would get their chances, they wouldn't have to worry about others listening in.

"I can understand now how you misstakened Shuyin for being Tidus" Paine stated with a followed smile.

"Yeah, they're almost identical to the looks, but so separated by personalities." Yuna mumbled quietly as she kept her eyes steadily on Tidus.

Anyone could've misstaken Shuyin, the man on the sphere Rikku had shown her, for being Tidus. Yuna could almost see Shuyin as Tidus if it wasn't for the totally different personalities they both had.

Shuyin set out to destroy Spira, even a thousand years after his death and the destruction of the Zanarkand he lived in, his spirit would not rest in peace...it couldn't. For others, Shuyin may have been seen

as a fiend, wanting nothing else than to destroy and kill. To others, Shuyin may have been seen as someone born out of total evil and knew only hatred. ...but those people did then not know of what Shuyin had been through.

Yuna felt sorry for the agonized soul that had lived on mourning even a thousand years after his death...not knowing his beloved last words, not knowing her thoughts or feelings as he fought to his last breath to protect her.

He had known nothing coming out of her mouth, he had only seen her smile as tears were shed, running down her face, before the fateful bullets were shot, ending their lives..together in each others embrace.

People did not know that what had started the tragic story of Shuyin and his Lenne, was the horrible Machina War between Bevelle and Zanarkand. People did not know that Shuyin wasn't an evil person nor soul.

Only Yuna and her friends knew that Shuyin was sad and lonely. He was tired, living on a thousand year after his death without his Lenne at his side, he remained at Spira alone, blaming himself for not being able to save her.

Adn while noticing that people, one thousand years later the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand, still argued and fought over nothing enraged him. The very reason to why Lenne and himself had been killed down in cold execution

still lived on. What Yuna knew, the people of Spira didn't, they didn't know what a torn agonized and tired soul Shuyin had been.

Thinking over those things Yuna came to an almost conclusion that Tidus wasn't all that different when it came to that part. Tidus too, had fought for and beside Yuna on her journey 2 years ago to defeat Sin.

He had joined her and her guardians in hope to find his Zanarkand again, but as time went, he stayed by her side, and not just until the end...but always.. By doing so, he was alot like Shuyin, she guessed.

Because Tidus, just as Shuyin, fought until his very last breath for his loved one and for Spira...knowing that defeating Sin, he also defeated his own existance. It had been the end of Yuna's pilgrimage, but also the end

for her love, as he, before her eyes, disappeared into the nothingness... She had been glad, only for that Sin was now gone forever. The Eternal Calm had finally arrived. But her heart had never ached as much as it had then

and for the last 2 years. The Eternal Calm was upon them, smiles found their way back to people's faces, laughters was heard again, joy and happiness was everywhere...but Yuna couldn't share all that with the one that had saved Spira,

she couldn't share it with the one person that had saved her...she hadn't been able to share it at all with Tidus.

In a few ways, Tidus was just as Shuyin. But it was their choose of action that separated them all in all. And the fact that Shuyin left in peace to rest with Lenne, and the fact that Tidus came back and now stood infront of her

being greeted by the last villagers, also made them different on some kind of level...she couldn't say for sure, all that she knew was that they all were connected on some alternate plain. Everything was connected.

"Dozing off again, Yunie?" the cheery voice of Rikku broke through her thoughts. "I expected you to be at least a little happier about seeing Tidus again."

"Sorry Rikku, I was just thinking that's all..." Yuna mumbled with a shake of her head. "And of course I'm happy to see him, don't you ever think otherwise!"

The goofy smile on Rikku's face worried Yuna slightly, and seeing Rikku leaning into to whisper something to Paine, making her chuckle lightly, worried her even more.

"Hey, what're you talking about?" Yuna exclaimed, turning to stand in front of them, hands on her hips, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, just a little something, something" Rikku smiled innocently, at least trying to look innocently.

"Don't give me that look! You're so far from being innocent that could even make LaBlanc look at you and say _'Damn!'_"

Yuna's statement made Rikku pout slightly and look at Paine for back-up. However, Paine's comment made her wonder on which side Paine was on.

"She's got a point you know." she had said with her Unique-Paine-Smile.

"Oooh, the anger and fustration you guys give me when you agree!" Rikku pouted with a whiny, yet lay-off glare.

Yuna merely sighed deeply with her eyes closed.

"Whatever, just tell me what you were whispering about" she continued as she opened her eyes

"Sigh all you want, Yunie. And ask all you want, 'cuase I ain't telling you!" Rikku teased

Yuna turned to Paine as her last hope of knowing what this was all about.

"Paine?"

The negative smiling shake of Paine didn't solve Yuna's problem any further. Just who's side was Paine on exactly she couldn't tell even in a houndred years.

"Sorry, Yuna. No can do, what Rikku told me was something worth keeping quiet about and torment you with." Paine had said. "Don't take it personal."

"_'Don't take it personal.'_ ? You got to be kidding me..." Yuna sighed again, settling herself down on the beach's sand in a defeated kind of way.

There she sat quietly, legs drawn up and pushed into her stomach with her hands, her head digging slightly into ther drawn-up legs, eyes closed.

How she was tired, but she had never been happier. Tidus was back, that was all she cared about. Staying in that position for a while, she did not notice how the beach became emptier as Rikku, Paine, Wakka, Lulu and baby Vidina

slowly and quietly made their way back to the village with all the other people. She was all to deep into her thoughts and dreams to notice anything. Not even noticing how Tidus stood infront of her fighting off the tiredly feeling that he had felt

ever since his return. He had been all to happy about seeing her to care about how his body felt as he held onto her as they stood together in the water embracing. His return had happened so unexpected that he had not had the chance to figure out

how he had returned or why he felt the kind of weakness. And having to shake hands or recieve embracing hugs from practually every human being from Besaid only tired him out more, even though he felt happiness.

He had soon gotten the chance to talk some with Lulu and Wakka. Rikku had said that she'd talk to him later and introduce their new friend Paine a little more later, and gathered everyone to leave, giving him some alone time with Yuna.

As she sat there, silently resting, as he thought. He grew weaker in the same pace as his heart felt warmer for the beautiful girl in front of him that had been his everything. Carefully he lowered himself down onto the sand, feeling his legs almost

giving away any moment. He had to try and control this, for Yuna's sake. She had just gotten to have him back, having to scare her or worry her with this unexplained feeling and state he was in, was not an option for him.

He had to pull it together for just another few hours. Wakka had said something about a Bonfire-celebration later on, to celebrate his return, and supposedly another victory and world-saving that had come from Yuna and her friends.

Had Yuna saved the world yet again, he thought? How long had he been gone really? What had been going on in Spira whilst he had been gone? Although he had noticed some changes in Yuna; her clothing-style, her confidence, her athletic skills and much more, he had no clue on what had been going on ever since his disappearance. That he had to ask her later was the conclusion he came to before focusing his stingingly tired eyes at her resting state again.

Sensing that she was being watched, and how all the cheering voices that suddently died out, Yuna slowly lifted her eyes to first meet the gazing sunlight again. Looking to her right where the crowd had been before she noticed it was all empty.

Had they all left already, and left her there alone? No, they would never do that...would they?

Her eyes turned with a haste to her left, slightly catching a glimpse of blonde, softly spikey hair. Empty to her left too.

Having the fast image of the blonde hair initalizing in her mind, she turned to look in front of her. There she was met by the goofy smiling face of Tidus and his cerulean blue ocean eyes.

She couldn't believe that it had been 2 years since she had last seen them. And here they were, gazing into her own bi-coloured eyes with so much adoration. She smiled brightly, this was a face she could look at all day long.

"Hi there" he quietly said, hos voice sounding rather tired.

Not wanting to fear anything that could be nothing but usual and normal tiredness, she smiled even brigther.

"Hey there yourself"

Moments of total silence went on between them, as they kept on looking into each others eyes.

"I-I've missed you...so much" Tidus said in a hoarse voice, he felt his heart wanting to crack up for the time he had been apart from her.

Yuna, herself felt as tears were born in the corner of her eyes as she heard him say what she too felt. The world had been so unfair on them.. 2 years.. Yuna couldn't believe it.

"I've missed you too, more than words can ever describe." She softly spoke, tears running down her face, shattering Tidus heart as he looked on.

In his weakened state, he refused to let Yuna notice anything wrong, as he with no power at all forced himself closer to her and throwing his arms around her. Embracing her, holding her with all his might.

"Yuna..." he mumbled into her hair, as he felt her arms circling around his waist, as she too held onto him. "Yuna..." he cried.

They stayed like that for what seemed as eternity. Feeling Tidus weight increase slightly on her, Yuna felt herself losing her balance little by little, and they soon feel to the sand. Tidus ontop of Yuna.

Yuna giggled lightly at the embarrasing action and not being able to control her balance. But found it soon odd, as she was the only one giggling or making nosies. Even more odd it became when Tidus didn't budge or

made any movement. As a minute passed. Yuna figured something had to be wrong as she carefully started to shake Tidus.

"Tidus?" she asked quietly while shaking. "Tidus?"

A few seconds later Tidus seemed to react and carefully pushed himself off of her. "Sorry, I didn't-" he slowly started, looking down at the sand.." I-.."

Yuna eyes him carefully, her eyes full of concern.

"You didn't respond to anything in minutes...are you okay?" she asked, her voice showing of what Tidus feared that she would feel... _Worry..._

Tidus smiled up a fake smile, hoping to reassure her that he was fine.

"I'm fine, really." he chuckled

Noq quite buying what he said, she gently nodded.

"Okay, if you say so."

"Yeah" Tidus nodded too. How he hated to have to lie to her, but it was a small white lie. he thought. He just didn't want to worry her. After all, what he felt could just be common tiredness for all he knew.

Yuna only looked at Tidus, her eyes scanning every part of him. She wanted to ingrave his image into her mind forever. She wanted him with her in all times.

Though he smiled, his eyes were distant somehow. They seemed so far away, so tired..._why?_ she wondered.

"Yuna.." Tidus whispered, breaking her concentration that she had upon his eyes. "Before I disappeard that time on the ship.." he started, painingly, as memories of that moment rushed back into their minds.

"I wanted to say the same words to you...but I couldn't..." he weakly continued, his voice felt like giving away.. There was no way he could hide what he had felt for sometime now from her. Never could he in a million years go

by her while sounding like he did. He clearly noticed her eyes looking on with so much concern..

"Tidus, what's wrong?" her voice that seemed so distant asked worriedily. But he decided not to answer her question, but to tell her what was most important for her to know.

"I figured...that, if I said it..it would've been more...painful..." he said between tired gasps..

Yuna was practually shaking him now, trying to get an answer out of him.

"Tidus! Please, tell me what's wrong... What's going on?"

"I'm so tired...Yuna... I-I want to say it now... I have..to.." he tried, her worried face was all that he saw, and it was now slowly fading into the blackness of nothing.. _"..I love you..."_

"Tell me, please! Tidus! What's wrong? Tidus!..Tidus?..Tidus?" she almost yelled, as his tired form collapsed in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2: Never

**_Disclaimer: Already put an disclaimer on chapter 1, that should do :P_**

**_Heey, chapter 2 has arrived! Sure took long enough.. but hey, better late than never right? Okay, I usually don't get into this read and review stuff so deep.. But I just looked on this story's stats.. and it hit me.. 115 hits on chapter 1 and only 5 reviews? That's like.. 110 people that've jumped in and not left a single word of review. Please, I ask of you to spend no more than 5 minutes to write an review to make a writer go on.. So please, R&R!  
I want to thank those who've reviewed though, and here's chapter 2 for you! _**

**_Hope you all enjoy!_**

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Chapter 2 - Never**

The sun's blazing heat continued further together with the people of Besaid as they all slowly headed back to the village. Going further in the back of the others was Rikku and the others.

All of them carrying smiles on their faces, enjoying the gwaking and purring melody of the singing birds. This had to be paradise both Rikku and Paine thought. After all that fighting and struggle merely hours ago when they all joined up with Leblanc, Nooj, Baralai and Gippal to save Spira had been exhausting. But all very enjoyful too, as they all had grown closer to each other and believed in each other's strength.

Wakka and Lulu walked slightly behind the girls, with baby Vidina all cuddled up in Lulu's arms and daddy Wakka smiling down at him.  
"Isn't he the cutest ever?" Wakka cooed in a fatherly way making Lulu laugh slightly at how proud Wakka seemed to be over their child. She too was very happy and proud.  
"At least for now, seeing that you want him to be a blitzer like you he'll probably end up looking like you in a matter of years." Rikku yelled from where she walked ahead of them.  
"Right on." Paine mumbled smilingly beside Rikku.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" came Wakka's disturbed voice. "I'm not all that Shabby, Lu married me after all, ya!"

Lulu turned to her right to look Wakka straight in the eyes before saying:  
"Not for your looks though." and walked on ahead to the girls who stood there smirking Wakka down with joy.  
"Aww, come on..." Wakka sighed, giving up in saying anything further as the conversation ended. "Women..." he said quietly in his misery.  
"We heard that!" the trio ahead yelled back at him in statement.

Wakka only smiled at this. "Life's going to be good. ya.." he whispered to himself before walking on towards the girls.

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Thoughts, confusion and fear went through Yuna as the blood ran through her veins as she sat there on the beach's shore, holding Tidus close to her as he laid there unconscious. She didn't know what was wrong or what had happened for that matter. Only moments ago things had seemed perfect, Shuyin and Lenne had gone to rest, Vegnagun had been stopped and destroyed, The eternal calm was on the track of continuation again, and Tidus return.

Everything had been perfect only moments ago, and now it felt like everything was falling apart even stronger and faster than ever before. Was this how life was going to be now that her love was back? ...to see him in this state...suffering?

She couldn't bear this anymore, everything just went wrong everytime she felt happiness. Was this a curse she had to live with?

"NO!" Yuna yelled out to the world.

She wouldn't accept this curse or whatever it was. She would defeat it, she would conquer it! Just as she had said and done 2 years ago in the heart of Zanarkand Dome where she encountered Lady Yunalesca.

She had casted off her beliefs in Yevon and the false hope that it had brought with it. She would now cast off her beliefs in Spira and everything else if she had too. Not anymore...Not anymore would she ever stand by like this watching everything fall apart over and over. This time, she wouldn't stand by and watch Tidus disappear or suffer. Not anymore...

"Rikku...Paine, can you hear me?" Yuna spoke, remembering the small microphone she always carried with her. "It's me, Yuna. Listen, if you can hear me, I need help here back at the beach...Something's wrong with Tidus..Please hurry" she ended. While in her waiting she decided to try and wake Tidus out if his state. Gathering him in her arms she tenderly touched his cheek, ever so gently. Even in this unknown situation he was in, he still looked angelic to her.

"Tidus?...can you hear me? ...please, Tidus...talk to me." she whispered in hopes of him hearing her. "It's me, Yuna...please let me know if you can hear me, Tidus.."

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"I know, Paine. I know already..." Rikku said in fustration. "In case you haven't noticed, I've tried talking to him several times during these past 2 years. But he kept on dreaming that their time would come..."  
"Yeah, I guess...Not much we can do then." Paine muttered in a quiet thoughtsome voice moments later as they walked into Besaid Village together with everyone else.

Rikku only sighed at this, even though her brother irritated her to death, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for his current saddened state.

"Let him be," came Lulu's voice from behind, who had seemingly overheard their conversation. "Yuna gave him hints after hints that she could never feel the same way about him, not when her heart only loved Tidus." Lulu continued. "It was his choice to ignore those hints, and it is now his fault for hanging onto a dream that very much is shattered at this point. We all knew and we all know that Yuna loves only Tidus...it is better to leave Brother alone, to figure this out on his own... only then will he learn to accept the obvious, only then will he be able to accept new dreams."

As Lulu's words sunk into both of them, Rikku's mic buzzed back and forth as the weak signal carried out Yuna's voice.

"Rikku...Paine, can...me?...It's...Yuna. Listen...can hear me...need help...beach. ...wrong...Tidus... hurry." was all that Rikku managed to hear as she stared blankly at Paine who seemed to have heard the same message through her microphone.  
"Let's go" Paine hushed under her breath before taking off together with Rikku towards the beach, hearing Wakka's questioning "What's up?" behind them.  
"Yuna needs help" Rikku said in a raised voice as she and Paine speeded up towards the beach leaving Wakka and Lulu behind.

As Rikku and Paine ran out of sight Wakka turned to face Lulu, who too shared the worried look he carried. He was confused and he was lost, all he knew was that Yuna was in a pinch or something.

"Lu..." he started before Lulu cut him off in a rush  
"Go, they might need a helping hand." she stated "Hurry, and be careful"  
"Always, Lu." Wakka smiled as he took off after the girls.

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"Come on, Tidus...What's wrong?" Yuna continued trying to no avail, as Tidus limp body continued lying lifeless in her craddled arms. "Please..." she begged quietly, praying, hoping, wishing for something good to happen.

Minutes later she felt as if her prayer had been heard as she saw Rikku and Paine's figures run down the beach calling out her name in panic as they came closer and closer each step they took.

"Yunie, what's wrong?" Rikku asked in a tired voice as she stopped in front of Yuna's figure holding Tidus limpless one together with Paine. "What happened to Tidus?"

Yuna's worried and concerned eyes shot up to meet their as she muttered in an heart-breaking sad voice: "I-I...don't know. We were talking, and he seemed fine for a moment...but..never mind that now. All I know is that he is lying here unconscious... and that's not how it's supposed to be. I need you help to get him back to the village safely."

Rikku and Paine nodded in agreement, showing off their understandings as both of them kneeled down to each grab on to Tidus and pulling him upward. They barely managed to stand upright with him as they took on all his muscular weight onto themselves.

"I don't think we're gonna be able to pull this off, Yunie" Rikku groaned, trying her best to stay steady while carrying Tidus, by having one of his arms around her neck.  
"She's right Yuna. How're we supposed to carry him up that slope by the woods like this?" Paine came in.  
"We have to try, he needs help...and I'm not about to keep him from getting it just because some slope." Yuna stated in determination. "I'm not going to let anything come in my way from helping him, guys." she then spoke in a softer tone.

"No need to, Yuna." Wakka's voice called out as he came running down the beach towards them. "I'm here, all ready to help, ya" he smiled in a brotherly way.  
"Wakka," Yuna smiled appreciation. "Thank you."  
"No prob, ya" Wakka goofed before taking on to helping them carry Tidus motionless figure.

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"What happened?" Lulu's frantic voice asked as the girls together with Wakka entered the village carrying Tidus. Wakka only shook his head at his wife's question and spoke in a strained tired voice:

"Not now Lu, too many people around. Let's take him to Yuna's place first and talk there."

Understanding Wakka's purpose in the matter Lulu nodded in understanding as she went to open up the door into Yuna's hut, letting them all in and closing the door behind them, leaving questioning faces and eyes out. Lulu's eyes never left Yuna's as they entered, whatever it was that had happened it had very much touched Yuna's heart in ways that could not be explained in other words than; _hurt._

"Here, let's lay him down on the couch." Paine's exhausted voice broke the short silence that had come upon them right after they had closed the door behind them. Rikku nodded in agreement, and Wakka was on his way to join them in taking Tidus body there. But they all stood still as Yuna refused to budge, leaving them all standing there with no chance of moving as Yuna held onto Tidus arm that hung around her shoulder firmly. "No," she had said "not the couch, we don't know if it's comfortable enough..."

"But, Yuna, it's a couch... how can it not be comfortable enough?" Wakka silently asked.

"...I don't know, all I know is that I clearly have no idea what's wrong with him. And if any of you guys know, then I beg of you to explain. But if not, then I want him to have the most comfortable choice as possible." Yuna quietly said with her eyes looking down at her hut's floor.

"What're you meaning, Yunie?" Rikku questioned her cousin in the most understanding manner.

"Let's take him up to my bed," Yuna spoke in yet again a silent voice, but outmost determined. "please.."

There was a moment when they all just stood there, watching their beloved friend Yuna stare lonely to the ground, refusing to meet their eyes as she isolated herself in her own pain...yet wishing them to accept her request, as if it was the very least thing she could do to help Tidus when she felt the very least helpful. How could they deny her wish? _Never_, was the answer from them all.

"Never, Yuna..." Lulu was the first to speak, catching Yuna offguard in what sounded like a denying of her request. Yuna looked sadly up at Lulu, who had come to be like a mother to her.

"Never would we ever dream of not helping you, dear." Lulu finished, and the sparkle she for an instant thought she saw in Yuna's eyes would never ever leave her memories. _Never..._


	3. Chapter 3: A Dream Of Love

**_Disclaimer: You can find it on Chapter 1_**

Hello all! Merry Christmas is in order from me! Heh, this chapter comes as a christmas-present from me to you all, especially my wonderful reviewers such as: 'Nikki of Spira, Warui-Usagai, Jiahao, TgliDgUiS, Kyritawuv, Darkmichaeal etc. If I've forgotten any of you, please don't be afraid to tell me so ). As I said earlier, a christmas-present. I wasn't intending on posting Chapter 3 so shortly as 6 days after Chapter 2. But since if was so that I recieved this wonderful new laptop as a christmas-present yesterday from my mom. I sat up hours straight typing Chapter 3 & 4 done.. So yeah, Chapter 4 is even done and waiting to be posted later on when I get the time to. Thank you all for reading and please continue reviewing, keeps me going! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Please enjoy this chapter  


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**Chapter 3 - A Dream Of Love**

"Can you tell us what happened now, Yunie?" Rikku's curious voice asked as they had settled Tidus down on Yuna's bed. With a tired sigh Yuna walked over to the small table she had in the room and pulled out a chair before settling her tired self on it.

"I-I really don't know myself, Rikku.." she muttered in a tight voice. "He seemed fine for a minute... and then, I saw some oddness in him... He told me he was fine," Yuna continued, her voice shattering with each word that left her. "and then he just collapesed into my arms, unconscious..." she ended in sadness. Sadness that turned into a small fit of anger a moment later. "He told me that he was fine!" she uttered in her anger, voice slightly raised.

They all stood in silence after Yuna's outbreak, looking on with sad faces at their beloved friend that hurted so much. Niether one of them really knowing what they could possibly say to ease Yuna's pain.

"I'm sorry that I yelled... I had no right to...""Yuna, there's no need to be apologizing to us, ya?" Wakka spoke in with a glance at Lulu for backup.

"Wakka's right, Yuna. You have the right to be off edge, you've had that right since your journey to vanquish Sin 2 years ago."

"Our..." Yuna corrected, confusing them all in an instant with the simple word she had let slip out of her mouth in the calmest voice she had managed to muster up during that moment.

"'Our' what, Yunie?" Rikku asked after a while.

"Journey..._Our_ journey. It was all our journey to defeat Sin 2 years ago." Yuna replied shortly after, still hanging onto the calm voice she had used earlier. "I could never have done it on my own, not without my friends by my side. Having you all there... Tidus, Sir Auron, Kimhari," Yuna looked up at the ones in front of her as she continued "You, Rikku, Lulu and Wakka... You all were there for me..._With__our_ journey." me.. Making it

Lulu watched on as she took in Yuna's every word with care and love, oh how she loved this young woman who sat in front of her, bearing the most unbareable pain possible. How she deeply longed for just to cradle Yuna in her arms and whisk away all her pain with divine promises. How she longed for the impossible. And through all this, she only stood by her husband's side, watching as Yuna quietly ate her heart away from the inside.

The slight movement of Paine moving from where she had been standing, back against a wall beside the bed where she had helped the others to get Tidus in, made everyone take notice of the 18-year old's cautious steps towards where Yuna sat. Taking out the second chair by the table and settling herself upon it before turning her fiery red eyes to meet Yuna's empty bi-coloured ones.

"Yuna..." she softly spoke, Yuna's facial expression remained the same, and Paine decided to continue on. "I know I didn't know you back then, or any of you for that matter...but I do know that you must've been very strong in order to handle Spira's hope upon your shoulders and refusing to lose your control or temper back then." Paine still saw no change in Yuna, as she continued to carry the shell of emptiness in her eyes. "And I know for a fact that you still have that strength and will within you, I know this because I myself witnessed it merely a day ago when all stood side by side before Vegnagun and Shuyin's rage. I saw that strength in your eyes when you told Nooj off that you disliked his plan... I saw that strength and determination in your eyes when you spoke of how you had stood by and watched your Aeons die, and how you didn't want friends to die or fade away... Even when we stood face to face with Shuyin, I saw the resolve and strength within you when you went as far as to fight Shuyin off even though you knew of his terrible past."

Silence was between all of them as Paine ended what she had wanted to say. All waiting for Yuna's response. Yuna made a move for the first time in a while, she had turned around in the chair she sat in to softly lay her eyes upon Tidus still form on her bed. Leaving her eyes to trace every inch of his face for a while before turning back to face Paine, quietly asking:

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because you can't lose hope nor strength now, Yuna! I'm telling you this, because I want you to know that even though your opinion on things may have changed, your strength has still remained with you through these years...Your strength and your resolve will always be a part of who you are, Yuna. I'm telling you this, because...You're a strong woman, Yuna...much more stronger than I could ever hope of being." Paine answered.

"What does it matter if I'm strong or not? I'm not the one unconsicous and unable to tell what's wrong with me. What can my strength possibly do to help Tidus out of this?" Yuna questioned a bit harsher than meant to.

"It matters because he loves you, Yunie..." Rikku cut in, finally understanding Paine's point. "It matter to him that you stay strong, and not just for him, but for yourself too, Yuna. Find the strength to believe, Yuna. Use your strength and believe that things will work out."

"Believe in what, Rikku? Believe as I believed in Yevon? Believe as I did when I thought it was Tidus in those spheres? Tell me what to believe in, 'cause frankly everything I've come to believe in for the most part of my life has come to be nothing more than a lie!" Yuna stated in the most tormented way possible. She sounded almost like someone that had given up on life completely.

"Believe in _love, _Yuna..." Lulu softly answered "Believe in love."

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"What do you mean someone's managed to break through?" Nooj's distressed voice asked as panic started to rise within him.

"We can't really tell sir, the Guado's are bewildered over this event as well." One of the underlings working under Nooj's watch informed in haste.

"Well, would you please explain this event as well Soldier?" Nooj unpatiently ordered

"Sir, we haven't recieved much information. What we managed to recieve from the distress signals coming from Guadosalam was that some malfunction was occuring. We didn't manage to pick up the signal telling us exactly what as malfunctioning, only that someone was able to break through whatever was malfunctioning."

"I see..." Nooj muttered under his breath as he thought over the information he had just recieved. "Either way, based on the little information we've recieved I can't call in a squad from their sphere-searching around Spira for this just yet. But a distressed signal like this can't be ignored either. Information or no information, I ask of you to head over there along with Aiko and look things over. You're desmissed." Nooj said from where he sat, holding the information documents in his hand. A document with almost no information at all.

"Yes sir!" bowed the soldier before finding his way out of the headquarter, leaving Nooj alone to his thinking.

Nooj let out a deep sigh after a while "What's going on?"

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In silence many people find it easy to go through hours of thinking about things going on around them and within them. In that time when everything is just quiet people get to notice and think over points and parts of their lives that they usually hasn't payed much attention to, or things that they've just pushed so far and deep within themselves that they've forgotten about it. Small things such as a high school joke, or larger things like feelings, moments and memories. Mostly during a moment of silence people tend to think about their problems and that part of life that they're not happy with, or wished could be more delightful. Yuna thought of this very thing as she sat in the quiet room where only she and Tidus were in. She found herself thinking of her whole lifetime, of how life had been for her since her earliest memories. How life had been in Bevelle with her parents, how life had been living with only her father by her side, how life had been while living without her father by her side in Besaid.

She thought of how her life had been in Besaid, surrounded by Lulu, Wakka and Kimhari who had come to be like her family. Life as she practised to be a summoner, life as a summoner. Yuna then thought most of all, how her life had come to be with Tidus in it, and how it had come to be a life with him ripped apart from it, only to return again, in a frightening state that scared her right into her heart's core. What she felt now, was how her life was on the edge of returning to how it had been for the last 2 years. A life, with Tidus ripped apart from it all over again. She often did manage to think of these things whenever she found herself in a place and time of silence, she found the silence a comforting phase of time to think clearly and alone.

A moment of pure silence in a phase of time, where she could be herself, ingulfed in her own life, sorting out the good and the bad parts. For her, a moment of silence, was a moment of herself.

It had been around 2 hours ago that she had been talked to from anyone. She remembered the words from that last conversation so clearly still. Every word, every feeling, and every movement still lingered inside her head as a movie.

_"Believe in love, Yuna..." Lulu softly answered "Believe in love."_

_"I do believe in love, Lulu. It's all I've ever been doing these past 2 years while having him apart from me..." Yuna said after a while._

_"Then what's wrong, ya?" Wakka asked in a concerned voice_

_"Oh Wakka, what's wrong is that I've just gotten him back, only to have him ripped away again? I mean, who knows what's wrong with him? Who's to say it isn't lethal? And who's to say that it's fine?" Yuna explained heartfully as she casted her eyes back at Tidus quiet form on her bed. All she ever wanted to do right then and now was to throw herself into his embrace and plead for him to return to her. But she only looked away from him, looking away from them all and down to the floor._

_Where she hid herself, her face, her eyes and her soul. "I''m very grateful for all your help, but I really want to be alone in here with Tidus for a while," Yuna softly spoke. "please..." she added afterwards as she had noticed them all still standing there._

_"Okay, Yunie. But call us if you need something, okay? We'll have our mics on if there's anything._

_"Yeah, thank you, Rikku. I thank all of you, I am...truly grateful to have you all as my friends and family" Yuna said in honesty with her face still looking down to the floor. How much she had meant those words, but she still couldn't face them just yet._

"I'm such a fool..." Yuna sighed as she remembered her shameful act hours earlier. Her friends had done so much for her, and all she could do was sulk and treat them as she had done. She was truly ashamed of herself now that it was too late.

"N-no..you're n-not..." she heard a weak voice call as she sat with her hands covering her tired eyes infront of the bed on the chair she had been sitting on earlier. Thinking this was her inner conscious speaking she quietly added.. "Yeah, right. As if anyone would believe that..."

"They wouldn't?" the same voice came, in an asking weak manner. Yuna strangely thought of this being wierd, talking to herself and all. "Ow, quit playing games with my head!" she snapped at herself in fustration, totally unaware of the being laying in her bed, thinking she had meant him. "I-I'm sorry!" he muttered out sadly.

Then it registered in Yuna's mind that the voice she heard could not possibly belong to herself, even if it was her inner conscious speaking. The voice was too masculine to be hers. "W-what?" she confusingly said as she started to remove her hands from her face.

"I-I said that I was s-sorry..." the voice of Tidus broke through the air in the room as she looked down at this half awake state, too stunned to react the first moments.

"T-Tidus?" she hesitantly asked, scared that it was all a play of her mind, or even worse...a _dream..._


	4. Chapter 4: Ghosts

**_Disclaimer: At chapter 1, A Tired Homecoming :)_**

**_Hey y'all! Happy New Year!  
Okay, gotta cut this short. My family's downstairs waiting for me for dinner. Can't keep them waiting.  
Here's Chapter 4 as promised for New Years Eve. It might have some wrongs here and there in the text, but I'll tend to it later since my time is short. I hope it's okay with all of you. Please enjoy and do have a good new year to come!  
Read and review as well would be nice, it will keep me going! With this said, gotta rush.. Bye!  
_  
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Chapter 4 - Ghosts

"T-Tidus?"

"Yeah, it's me alright." Tidus smiled, he couldn't really undestand why she was reacting the way she was doing. But he hoped to find out soon enough. And to his dismay, he felt the reason to it in the most unpleasurable way he could think of. His head throbbed as if he had been throw right down a cliff, head first. Not that he actually knew how that felt like, but he had a feeling this was not short off it. He groaned as the pain refused to subside and turned his head from side to side, hoping to shake it off. He forgot all about where he was and that Yuna was right there beside him with a horror-struck reflection on her face as she could only confusingly stare on as Tidus winched in pain over and over on her bed. The thought of calling in someone to help her came across her and she was well on her way to do just that before Tidus seemingly twist-and turns of pain stopped and a sigh of relief was released from the depths of his troath.

A moment of silence occured as both of them were frozen to their places. Tidus, heavily breathing in and out trying to control himself on Yuna's bed. And Yuna not to far from his side, breathing out a small sigh of relief herself as she looked on to Tidus relaxing form. Soon she saw him turn to her, and she saw him smile. She had dreamt of seeing that smile of his so many times over those hours that had passed, she had dreamt of that smile for well over 2 years. And there Tidus, her life, her soul, laid on her bed, catching up on the after-strike of an painful event he had just been through. There he laid, and he smiled. She felt her insides melt, her heart racing and her eyes blurry of threathining tears. And through it all, she managed up a small smile herself before walking closer to him with catious steps, fearing that something would come to happen to him if she was all to hasty, fearing that whatever dark cloud she had hanging over her head, curse or not, would harm her loved one.

Through his cerulean blue eyes, Tidus laid smiling at her. The only thoughts flowing through his head at that moment was to cheer the only person he lived for on. His only priority then and now was to encourage her, and not worry her further. In the depths of his mind he truly wanted to search for the meaning of what had happened to him and why, he had an urge for wanting to find the answers.

But no urge of his was bigger than the urge of seeing Yuna's smiling face. He was soon granted the smile he had been waiting for, and shortly after he found her catiously closing in on him.

His heart sank; she was scared, unsure and frightened. And probably was thinking that it all was her fault somehow. How his heart sank as he felt her pain and uncertainty. He wished that he could reach out to her and tell her everything was going to be alright. But he couldn't, he could not promise her something that he himself didn't even know. He could never bear to make another promise that he probably couldn't keep, like he had done 2 years previous. But back then, he didn't know of his non-existance. He had only found out afterwards, but that was still not a whole excuse for him doing a promise that he later on broke. He would never in the right or wrong state of his mind make another promise that he soon would have to break. Even if it was a promise of encouragement to his beloved. A promise from him from that moment on, would only come out as a forever kept promise. A promise he would and could keep. So on, he could only continue smiling as Yuna came up to his side, looking down to him in a mixture of concern and relief. Now felt like the right time to say something.

"Hey" he said, inwardly kicking himself for being such dorky smooth-talker.

"Hi" she quietly answered, still looking at him instensely, as if she was examining every little part of him, making sure everything was there and that it was real.

He soon saw this, and reacher up to carefully caress her cheek, proving it all to her.

"Does this feel real enough?" he smiled in a charming manner that made Yuna give a heartly giggle of tears before throwing herself into his awaiting arms where he laid on the bed.

He warmly welcomed her, taking this chance when he felt no pain or weakness to express himself and his feelings for her, as well as his memories of their strong relationship that they had build up during their journey. This was all he had ever wanted, someone whom he could care about in a mutual way. Someone to embrace...someone to call _home._

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"Are you sure this is going to go okay?" Aiko asked his fellow soldier Laq as they entered the home of the Guado's; _Guadosalam._

"Yeah, take it easy Aiko. It's going to be a piece of cake. All we have to do is go in, talk some things over with the Guados and make our way back with the information to Nooj"

Laq answered tiredly. "It'll only take a few minu-... what the hell!" he shrieked as he saw the scene before him. Blood spread everywhere, corpses of dead Guados spread across the whole sofisticated city of Guadosalam in horror. The air was full of death and spirits of the dead, screaming and tearing through the silence of the city in greive of their own deaths.

"Oh my god, what's happened here!" Aiko had to fight a battle with his stomach not to throw up the days meal at the sight and smell of everything.

There was no sign of life anywhere except for himself and Laq. Everyone was dead, every Guado in the city, every man and woman gone, together with all the children as well as their corpses laid in bloody pools of the own blood and their spirits wandering above in agony.

"We gotta report this to Nooj, and fast!" Laq only managed to surpress as he held his breath to not breathe in the horror stank that lingered all around.

_'That you wish...'_ a cold voice echoed through the room, a voice cold as ice that only lingered on in a few people's mind that had gotten the chance to really explore this person's voice.

Laq and Aiko turned around to where it had come from and saw as the spirits around disspatched in fear of the voice's owner. Laq and Aiko's eyes were only fixed upon what they saw, scared and shocked. "T-this can't be! You're dead, they... they killed you! You're dead!" Laq screamed out what he knew was a fact throughout all of Spira.

_'My, my... dead? No no no, not dead... only undead.' _said the cold voice again in a smirking way.

"No, that can't be! How!" Aiko muttered in fear as he carefully backed away from it all, trying to drag Laq with him. But without much luck, as Laq only stood his ground, eyeing the cold voice's owner in disgust and anger.

"Never mind how! It's not true, and I'll prove it to you!" Laq screamed as he pulled his rifle out, taking aim at the person. And then he pulled the trigger, releasing the bullet. It only went through and hit the wall behind. Laq stood still, in a trance of confusion and doubt.

_'That was very...unwise of you... But no matter, no harm done, right?.. ' _the voice only muttered. _'Well, not to me anyways. This is the end for you two...'_

And with that, it went to attack. The birds fled from their places on the trees together with the wind as heart-wreching screams was heard from the insides of Guadosalam.

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"I've told you this before Jai, I'm not signing those papers for you. That piece of parchment is one of the oldest found in the history of Spira. I'm not signing them over so you can use them for whatever it is you want to use them for." Baralai's voice echoed through the halls of Bevelle as he walked down one of the corridors leading to his office. A second-stage learning priest namned Jai, age 17 on his trail after him. Trying unsuccessfully to get Baralai's agreement on his project after 3 days of trying, yet he showed no sign of quitting either. He really wanted to do this research-project, and for that he needed the parchment he would do the research upon. The only way to get it though, was through Baralai's agreement and signature on a agreement paper that he could take with him to where the parchment was safely stored in the ProSeal of Bevelle. The most safest and tight-secured storage bank in whole of Spira.

"A research my lord. I beg of you to grant me this, if only for a day. Please sir, I really want to do this research, it might help us find out more about Spira." Jai begged.

"No, Jai. I've told you, as a second-stage student you may not access such high valuelated history accessories. Not even sixth-stage learners are allowed to do it. Only a fully-fledged priests or top-ranked learner may request such. And since you're none of those, I will have to be sorry and say this to you once more. You may not access that parchment!" Baralai stated as he made entered his office and went to sit down on his office-chair. A stern look on his face as Jai refused to give up.

Baralai adored the ones learning to be a priest at the temple of Besaid, but Jai was too much. It was a good thing that he had a strong will and refused to give up. But there is certain points where someone has to take no for an answer. And that point of time was now. Jai may have been 17 and well on his way to become a grown-up man. But to request something so high of value and so old containing scripts and secrets since the beginning of Spira was a request not even some fully-fledged priests at the age of 35 had the courage to ask of researching. It had so far been totally unsolveable. And Baralai was on a straight line of wanting to figure it out before his ending day in the far-off future would come. What concerned and bugged him alot as well was how Jai, a biy of 17 years would think he could read it, if not even the most gifted and wise men of Spira couldn't.

"But sir-"

"Enough, Jai. Will you please just take no for an answer. I will not change my mind." Baralai broke him off in a low and calm voice from where he sat on his chair. Jai only stared Baralai down from where he stood, on the other side of the table seperating them. Seperating Jai from wanting to give Baralai a piece of his mind pysically. Jai soon shook that awful feeling off and bowed gracefully in acceptance before finding himself out of the room.

As Jai walked out the door Baralai let out a deep sigh of thankness that he would at least get a few hours of rest before Jai returned with a new excuse or idea of why he should sign the papers. Baralai was starting to see Jai's pattern in this situation, and he every now and tried to sneak out of it all when the time of Jai's arrival was nearing. It was not that he disliked Jai, he only disliked how the guy never gave up on a losing matter. Baralai wouldn't sign those paper on his own will, and even if he were to do it by will. He couldn't do it, as the Praetor of Bevelle, Baralai swore an oath of strength and wisdom. He would keep everything within his promise intact, and by so not letting anyone who's not authorized to access artificial history of Spira's history.

But what he disliked most of all was that he couldn't figure out why someone like Jai, in his early years and beginning of his Priest-studying would want to research something as old as that parchment.

It couldn't be out of order or interest, Baralai thought. No one in his right state of mind would want to spend years of his time just by studying something so old as an parchment that early in his or her life. Baralai could only pounder this question over and over in his mind, disliking that he couldn't find the answer.

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"I don't like this" Rikku's bored and sulky voice said from where she sat in Lulu's and Wakka's kitchen together with them and Paine.

"Don't like what?" Paine asked in the same bored voice.

"Sitting like this, not doing anything." Rikku answered. "I'm worried about Yuna."

"Yeah, me too. Should we head over and see if she's alright you think?"

"I would certainly like to, but she said that she wanted to be alone.." Rikku said in a sad manner

"But you're friends all of you, isn't that right?" Lulu entered the conversation from where she sat feeding Vidina who was in her craddling arms.

"Yeah?" Paine arched an eyebrow.

"Well then, what's wrong with heading over then?" Lulu asked curiously, but obviously understanding their confusion.

"Because she said that she wanted to be alone." Paine stated matter-of-factly.

"So? As friend you have the right to be worried and wanting to check up on her." Lulu continued in a knowing way.

"But what about what she said?" Rikku broke in, really wanting to check upon her cousin. But also wanting to respect her wishes.

"That was almost 3 hours ago, ya?" Wakka tried in an encourage manner. He too was worried about Yuna and deeply wanted to Rikku and Paine to look how she was doing.

"Yeah, but-" Paine started before Rikku cut her off.

"Hey, you're right! We should head over righ away. Come on Paine!" she had said before taking a hold of Paine's arm and dragging her out of the kitchen and out to the door. Totally ignoring Paine's command of letting her go. "Don't be such a pain, Paine." Rikku smiled teasingly as she walked on, her heart filled with hope and force after hearing Lulu's and Wakka's wise words. She could understand Lulu's wiseness. But when Wakka got his, she could only wonder. Either way, she was happy to have them around.


	5. Chapter 5: Remember Me Not

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1 as always ._**

**_Okay, Happy New Year to you all again. I'm sorry for the rush I had last time. But it was New Year's Eve, and my family was waiting for me.. Well, here's chapter 5. I hope you all enjoy it, and more reviews would be much appreciated. Feels like sometime I'm writing it and nobody's reading. Haha, just kidding. But seriously, more reviews would be nice. And to all those already reviewing, I thank you all deeply and I hope you really enjoy what I'm writing. I seriously enjoy writing it, and I hope it's not a waste of my time. I will somewhat try to get this story started up a bit more and into where it really begins. But it feels like I have to take things slow, I really don't like rushing everything. As it somewhat is a dissapointment and sometimes really brings the story down in depth and background. I hope you all understand and enjoy it either way.  
Enjoy your read and remember to R&R! Thank you all, take care!_**

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**  
Chapter 5 - Remember Me Not**

It felt as though hours had passed and Yuna was still in Tidus embrace, not wanting to let go. The feeling was mutual, and Tidus kept her close as he savoured everything. She gave him strength, she gave him hope in whatever misery he might've felt of his strange condition. As long as she was by his side he could manage anything, that was his thought as he held her closer. He loved her, and he hoped she knew it. He wished her to know it. And maybe she did, since she only held him in a stronger manner. He didn't complain, not once would he complain when she was near. He would shove the painingly feeling off if it threathened to come, he would ignore it for her. He would ignore his life for her. He let his hand slide down the length of her hair, caressing her soft silky hair in the smoothest of strokes. He then turned his face to let his lips gently kiss her left cheek. It was a soft and innocent brush of his lips, and yet it warmed Yuna's heart in a flaming feeling. Staying in that position a few more minutes they both got their own chances and ways to remember and savour that very moment inside their hearts and put it deep in their deepest memories of favourite moments. Soon they slowly broke apart, still close to each other they only broke apart to look at each other. Tidus cerulean eyes meeting her bi-coloured green and ocean blue ones. That was surely proof that she was the daugther of an Al Bhed mother. And he loved her all the more for it. Then he smiled again, he smiled of his fondness of her, he smiled of his joy. But most of all, he smiled for her, he smiled out of love. He didn't know if she knew it or not, but he wanted her to know, so he chosed this moment to reveal it all. He would say it in five simple words, nothing more, nothing less. Five words from his to her. Five words of expressness. Five words for them.

"I love you, you know." There, he had said them. He didn't think of anything else but his love for her. If there was someone else involved that he had not gotten to know about, he didn't care. If she had stopped loving him, it would hurt dearly. But he would endure, beacause all he wanted was for her to know what he felt. There and now, he only cared for her and that she knew of his feelings.

She kept the same calm expression that she had moments before he had spoken. He was starting to get nervous, but he would await. After all, for her; he'd give a lifetime of waiting.

But then her expression changed; she smiled. A wonderful smile that he could give anything to wake up and sleep too every day for the rest of his life. She then spoke, still wearing her smile.

"I know..." she said, tilting her head in a girly manner to her side continuing smiling.

"You do?" he smiled back, he didn't know how, but he was glad she did. But the question was still there deep within him, asking how she knew, he didn't remember telling her. Or was it just that he was so obvious?

"Yeah, you told me on the beach before you... either way, you told me. Don't you remember?" She asked slightly confused.

_'On the beach...before..what? remember?..'_ Tidus thought as it all overflowed his head, now he had questions. He had expressed his feelings for her on the beach before.. what? Why had she not finished the sentence? He wondered. A thought in the back of his mind told him that it had something to do with him waking up in what he assumed was her place with the painfully throbbing headache.But he wouldn't act on that thought just yet, maybe something else had come up.

"N-no, Yuna. I can't really say that I remember any of that..." Tidus said truthfully. Why couldn't he remember? He bit his bottom lip too keep himself from lashing out whatever curse he wanted to let out.

Things were just so confusing for him at that moment. Hadn't everything he'd done been enough already? Seeing his Zanarkand be destroyed, sent 1000 years into the future by Sin. Learning of his true existance as a dream of the fayth, defeating Sin, defeating his own father. Forever ending the Spiral Of Death with the banishment of Yu Yevon. Having to fade into nothingness before Yuna as his existance ceased to exist. Wasn't it all enough already? Why couldn't he remember the moment he actually told the one he loved that he loved her? Damn was he getting angrier by the second as these questions rose within him, demanding unknown answers.

Yuna noticed this, she could feel it as Tidus remained quiet, slowly trying to process his anger and control it. She could feel his rage as well within her. She shared the same anger, things never seemed to be enough when it came down to the two of them. It seemed that they would never live a life of peace and quiet. There would always be that curse hanging above them, she thought.

It was unfair, sad and true. Was it even worth living on while knowing that she was forever doomed to this unpeaceful life, she wondered? Was it worth living with all this stress, pain and misery?

One look at the blonde haired, blue eyed person in front of her sent her kicking herself for ever asking this. Of course it was worth it if he was around. With him with her she would manage to live whatever life held in store for both of them. With him, she could and would conquer it all.

The door to Yuna's room flung open as Rikku and Paine entered with energy that would last them a life-time. Yuna's eyes flew right towards them as she could only look on, not knowing what to say or do. Tidus, from where he laid did the same. His eyes was although staring up and down the blonde half-naked girl in front of them that stood beside a leather-clothed girl as well.

_'Is that Rikku!'_ He thought incrediously, if it was, she sure had changed since he last saw her. She had a more mature look to her, and her image mind-blew him into oblivion. He would never really understand Rikku or her way of life. Niether did he want to find out either, he thought. But even so, he was glad to see her yet again. He would never forget the Al Bhed that had helped him into the beginning of knowing Spira's and Sin's story. She had been one of the Al Bhed's to help him when he arrived at the strange world, and she had been the one to tell him of Zanarkand's destruction 1000 years earlier. She made him realise that he had been thrown into the future by a thousand years. But with this in mind, he only stared at the girl in awe.

"Rikku!" Yuna stated, confused by her incoming, and slightly worried of the look Tidus had on his face as he looked at her cousin. What his intentions were she didn't know, nor did she want to know. But she assumed it to be the shock of seeing Rikku again after such a long time. And by her change of style into a more mature and less-clothing one. She merely thought this to be a bit funny, as Tidus had missed out a lot.

"Rikku!" Tidus shrieked blown-away. It really was Rikku! Crazy Al Bhed Girl Rikku! Tidus could only smile in joyness to her unique Rikku-grin. Rikku was surely one of her kind, she was an amazingly funny girl whom he could always enjoy a crazy chat with. "Oh my god, how you've grown!" he let out in a whisper.

"You bet, welcome back stud." Rikku smiled teasingly. She was overjoyed of seeing Tidus in a waken state again, but she would hold her hyperness for herself for now. At least for a short while she inwardly thought wickedly.

"Yeah, but you'll never grow ahead of me, little Bean Rikster." Tidus teased in a over-brotherly way as he made this a point in his life to always tease her one way or another.

"Heey, don't call me a bean you big meanie!" Rikku said with a pointing finger towards him. She would get him back.

A cough was heard from the black-leather-clothed girl standing beside Rikku, and Tidus turned his attention to her and was meet by piercing red eyes. He looked at those eyes in awe as well for a while. Red eyes was always something he thought of being a cool thing. He had once in a while wished himself to have red fiery eyes. It sometimes made people look evil and hateful. But on this girl, no other color could fit her better than red. She wore leather-clothes that was tight onto her body, she reminded him very much of Lulu. Except for her hair, which was short and a bit spikey in a shade of grey. She looked tough, not someone you would want to mess with, he thought. He wondered, who was this girl?

"Paine!" Yuna then let out, adressing the girl by her name. Tidus couldn't possibly know who she saw, if he couldn't remember anything from that moment on the beach, surely another presentation was in order. "Tidus, this is Paine." Yuna then added as she turned to look at Tidus face. He was still looking Paine up and down. She sighed lightly, jelousy would not take over her. She knew Tidus loved her, he had said it twice, but only remembered the latest confession. But it was the first that she held dearly, the one he couldn't remember. The fact that he refused to lose his consciousness before he had let her know touched her deeply than any other thing. She would always keep that moment with her. That painful and hurting moment of his aching weakness, she would keep. Just because of that confession during it all.

"I don't think another introduction is needed, Yuna. You introduced us down at the beach earlier, remember?" Paine stated from where she stood, back towards the wall with her arms crossed across her chest.

Yuna went to answer this with a reason to it all, but Tidus beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, but Yuna needed to do that.." He quietly started, it was as if he was ashamed of what he was about to say. "Because.. I can't remember anything from that moment on the beach. I can't remember anything about being on a beach to begin with to tell the truth."

"What!" Rikku questioned. "What do you mean you don't remember?"

Tidus remained in a silent state at this, Yuna guessed that he was ashamed of what had happened. He probably felt himself being weak and dumb for not remembering such an important event of their time together. She understood a bit, she too would feel ashamed and bad if she couldn't remember the first time she told him that she loved him. It was such a painful thing to forget.

"It means what he said, Rikku. He can't remember..." Yuna softly spoke in Tidus place. She then turned her eyes back to her love to see him inside his own little world of thinking.

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"So how's it going with everything, Nooj?" Gippal asked the mevyn as they walked down the road of Mi'ihen Highroad.

Both had taken a time off to walk around, Nooj had walked down from the Youth League's Headquarters in Mushroom Rockroad, and Gippal from his Machina Faction in Djose Temple to meet by Mi'ihen and talk things over. Such as work and life.

"I'm not really sure. Everything in the headquarter's going fine, The Youth League is on good grounds with New Yevon. Our followers are expanding quite good, and we're keeping Spira quite safe from fiends together with the corporation with New Yevon. But, there's something that's bugging me a bit."

"Oh, yeah?" Gippal curiously questioned, as Nooj caught his ears on something that he felt was off. And from what experience Gippal had gathered from working together with Nooj earlier, was that when Nooj felt something, he was usually right.

"We recieved a distress signal from Guadosalam about a day ago about an malfunction and something about someone escaping something over there. Much more we didn't get as the signal broke." Nooj informed in a deep and disturbed voice.

"Malfunction and escapage? That can't be right, who would escape from what? All they got over there is that huge inside palace belonging to Leblanc and her gang, the shops, a few Guado houses here and there, and the Farplane. It's not like they have prison or something." Gippal explained from his previous Guadosalam experiences.

"I know, that's why I didn't call in a squad. Instead I sent Aiko and Laq over there to see things over and report back. But they haven't returned yet. A day or so is more than enough to get there and see things over and report back. But they've been gone for almost 2 days now." Nooj was worried, whatever it was keeping Laq and Aiko from returning had to be big.

"Hmm, yeah. I can admit that it's wierd. But hey, maybe they've just lost track of time. Before you know it they'll probably be back with loads of information for you." Gippal encouaraged in a half smile as they continued walking around aimlessly.

"I hope so." Nooj only answered in deep thought.

"Yeah, chill Noojie." Gippal teased. "And while on the subject of Noojie, how's things with Leblanc?"

"Can't really say, haven't heard from her in a while, last I heard she was in going through the Thunder Plains with Logos and Ormi on their way to Macalania. Said something of wanting to inspect the Temple there." Nooj answered.

"Inspect the Temple?"

"Don't ask me, I can't understand her sometimes either." Nooj only answered. "How's it going for you then? Anyone out there for you?"

Gippal laughed as he scratched his head lightly before settling on an answer: "Well, I do have my eyes for one girl. A very hyper-special girl." he grinned.

"I see." Nooj smirked knowingly. Gippal was in for another wild ride.

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_**A/N: That's all for this chapter people. Next one should be up within a week or so. Or maybe earlier if the reviews really edge me on to writing faster. School's coming up now on Tuesday for me. So, it will take up much of my time. So the time to cheer on for another chapter will have to be before that, I think. Oh well, let's see of it goes. Thank you for reading once again.**_

_** / Alexiel91  
**_


	6. Chapter 6: Thoughts

**_Disclaimer: At the beginning of Chapter 1..._**

**_Oh well, turned Saturday over here just 10 minutes ago.. Thought it would be some updating time. Finally the first week of school has passed by. And I'm exhausted, so I excuse myself if there's some typos here and there. I thank them who reviewed last time, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well. Yet again, sorry if there's any typos or hard understanding. Feel free to ask if you wonder over something. Happy reading, good night (for me) and reviews are most welcome._**

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Chapter 6 - Thoughts**

Night had fallen upon Spira and surrounded everything with darkness and starlit stars in the sky, a magical sight for the small eyes of Vidina as he continued to stare into the beautiful sighting that he did not understand. Warmth he was given from his mother as he laid in her arms gently embraced under the night sky. It was so much that he didn't understand, but he understood this of being a feeling of safety and love. And so on he continued staring up in wonder of what those shiny dots in the black sky could be. In his own little world he only felt silence and peacefulness. He was unaware of the ongoing bonfire party going on around him and his mother.

The fire in the middle was lit up in the strongest of fire as the people of Besaid enjoyed talking to one another and partying together with drinks and food as well as tossing a few Blitzballs back and forth. The Bonfire Party of Yuna's second world-saving and Tidus return was on full-force. Lulu sat with her son in her arms by the fire, wanting her child to feel warm and cozy as he stared off in his own world of wonderment. Her eyes went back and forth through the party, looking on in amusement as she saw Wakka talk with the Aurochs about starting a tougher, harder and more joyful Blitz-training. Wakka could never let go off Blitzball she realised, it would probably be like losing a part of himself if he let it go entirely. Her eyes went from her husband to Rikku and Paine that was sitting on the other side of the fire in an up-heat conversation with Buddy and Shinra. She continued scanning through the celebration in search of the two people's being celebrated. When she did not find them, she assumed that they had yet to come out and encounter everyone.

Rikku and Paine had earlier together with Yuna come over to tell the wonderful news of Tidus awakening, but also a sad fact of his short memory-loss. She had then told them that it could be a small side-effect of whatever he had gone through and that it would probably were off in a matter of days. Yuna's eyes had lit up with hope and joy when she had said that, and she now hoped that she would be right. Apparently whatever Tidus couldn't manage to remember was a key-point of their lives that she valued strongly and wouldn't want to be the only one remembering it.

She closed her eyes for a second as she washed away all her thoughts and focused on enjoying the party and Vidina, and for this night only. Not having to think of what was to come or not to come.

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"I don't know Tidus, shouldn't you be in bed resting?" Yuna weakly asked as her worried part of herself took over. She really did feel like partying. But Tidus well-being would always be her first priority. She sat on her bed watching as Tidus with small and half-weak steps made his way back and forth in her room trying to get himself clean and ready for the bonfire outside.

"Nah, Yuna. I'm fine, promise." He tried with a smile. He didn't get far with that though. As he was met by Yuna's eyes, not the least amused.

"That's what you said earlier as well. And look where it got you, onconscious on my bed" She said, her voice all drained from joy or sweetness, only leaving sadness and concern.

Tidus looked her way in a apolgizing way as he went over to the bed and sat beside her, steading his arms on his knees as he leaned forward. He sighed before asking.

"What happened? On the beach I mean, that got me where I am now?"

Yuna was quiet at this question, her mind poundering over her answer. Did she want to tell him the truth? Should she maybe tell a little white lie for the time being to not worry him? Better yet, did she want to bring that subject up even, she asked herself. Her mind set on her answer she took in a breath before answering.

"I really don't want to get into this right now, Tidus. I just think that this party maybe isn't such a good idea. That you even agreed to this when Wakka and Lulu asked suprised me. Aren't you the least worried about your own well-being?" She went on, slightly keeping track on the conversation, but also changing it a bit into what she was most worried about at that moment.

"Of course I am, but I'm telling you that I'm feeling fine enough to be able to get out there and celebrate you together with everyone else. I can't believe that you saved Spira all over again" He smiled, she knew he was very proud of her. And she could only blush at this. forgetting everything of the conversation earlier.

"They're celebrating you too, you know" she informed smilingly. At this he only smirked charmingly and posed a bit showing himself off.

"Yeah, I know. Celebrating a Hero's return or something like that right?"

"The return of a Hero indeed...The return of my hero.." Yuna said in a whisper as she looked down to the floor in embarressment.

She felt Tidus warm arm encirkel her and holding her tight up towards his side, she welcomed the warmth coming from him. She leaned her head to rest on his shoulder as they sat their in silence.

Words wasn't needed at that moment, they knew that only actions was needed to express what they felt, and by so they sat there minutes straight, nothing said and nothing done. In each others warm closeness they found what they were searching for.

Yuna felt Tidus right hand gently caress her left cheek and she pushed her right cheek deeper into his shoulder, wanting to feel him the way she had done that time in Macalania where she had found her true love. She slightly felt her cheeks blush a shade of red as the memories of their first kiss displayed like a moving motion picture inside her head. Their first kiss, in the lakes of Macalania, in a moment of desperete need for love and trust they had shared it. She only wished that it could've been her first kiss that she shared with him, but unfortunately it didn't turn out that way, as her first kiss was stolen by someone whom she now looked back on with a disgusted face. Seymour Guado, leader of the Guado people in his living days, child and proof of a love between Guado and human was possible. Seymour Guado, one of the four maesters of Yevon had turned out to be a psychoman who searched to be Sin and free Spira of all its sorrow and suffering by destroying it all.

What a nice way to free Spira, Yuna thought in a sarcastic way. She had trusted Seymour, she had looked up to him and his strength so with admiration. She had let him be her pillar of strength when Tidus had always been the one. It hurt her deeply to know that she had accepted Seymour's proposal of marriage in order to give the people of Spira something to distract them from the pain Sin continued bringing.

She remembered how Tidus had acted back then, even though he tried to hide it from them all, as well as his feeling for her, she had seen right through him how he was hurt by her decision of marrying Maester Seymour. Fortunately for them, Yuna had found out about Seymour's evilness as she watched the sphere Lord Jyscal, father of Seymour had left behind before she sent his sould to the farplane a second time, to forever rest in peace. Seymour had indeed killed his father with his own hands, and Yuna knew she could never marry such a crazy man. When she had told her friends that she would meet Seymour to talk the marriage over, she had in fact been planning in confronting him about his dreadful deeds. Her friends came after hearing as well, and they all fought together side by side and they killed the Measter. At least they thought so, Seymour's spirit continued to live on, holding on to Spira and refusing to fade to the Farplane. Seymour forced her upon a marriage in order to save her friends. He had been the stealer of her first kiss. How she was angry at that time, but her anger was nothing compared to the disgust she felt of having his lips upon her own.

The gentleness of Tidus hand caressing her face further brought her back from her bad memories of Seymour and back into the present where only they existed in the moment. She leaned in deeper into his hand and let out a sigh of pure happiness. She lifted her eyes up to meet his and was frozen with the moment as he looked back. She felt his hand sneek to the back of her head with and slowly bringing her head closer to his as he leaned down to her face. His eyes never broke the contact with hers and he searced her eyes for any signs of hesitation as he brought her closer.

All he could see was love and devotion. No hesitations, no regrets. He saw only Yuna in those eyes. With that he slowly and ever so gently closed the gap between them as he touched his lips to hers in a soft kiss that would make their second. It was pure and innocent, as his lips only brushed hers in soft divine. Both had their eyes closed as they both enjoyed this moment where they felt connected more than ever after being two years apart.

All the worries or other thoughts in each of their minds were forgotten for that moment only, as all they felt was warmth and love in each others presence.

After what only had been a few seconds but felt like an eternity to them, they slowly broke apart. Both feeling a new sensation of strength and satisfaction for the small and innocent moment they just had shared with each other after being apart for so long.

Tidus smiled down at Yuna as he went to stand up. He took a hold of her hand and gently pulled her up with him and drew her close to him.

"We should head out there before they send a search party after us. After all, the party for us has been on for some while without us there." he said with an mischievous smile.

Noticing that he showed no sign of backing down from attending the party going on outside Yuna merely breathed out a "Yeah, I guess you're right..." she then turned to meet his smiling face

and shoved her worries down for that night only and smiled back. "Let's not make them wait any longer" and with that said they both left Yuna's room and headed down to meet the others outside.

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"Yeah but, it's not like that Paine." Rikku protested in a rather nervous voice. "I tell you, you've got it all wrong."

"Oh do I?" Paine asked with a knowing smirk. She knew that Rikku had a thing going on for Gippal, half the fun of this conversation was seeing her friend deny it in a low convincing manner.

"Yeah, you do!" Rikku stated, trying her best to keep her voice steady. "Anyways, it's not like I'm the only one here. You've got the hots for Baralai." Rikku said in a blurt, half admitting that she did have the hots for Gippal without noticing it, and turning the conversation on Paine.

"I do not!" Paine now said quickly. "You're being delusional, better get some sleep, kiddo."

"Who are you calling _'kiddo'_ you're not that much older than me! Besides, the one delusional here is you, thinking I have a thing for Gippal...hmpf, must dumb thing I've ever heard" Rikku shrugged off.

"Is that so? That must make me the smarter one between us." Paine simply said, a smirk of victory almost finding itself in her expression.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" Rikku mocked. She was starting worry as she had heard Paine let those words out. She greatly feared that her mouth once again had messed it up for her again as it had done on many occasions.

"Oh nothing, only that you, unlike me just admitted that you weren't the only one between us that had the hots for someone. So you see, it's not just only me, but you as well since your mouth came in at the wrong time, which it's so famous of doing." Paine smiled. She thought of herself taking the victory home in the conversation, but when she saw the smile one Rikku's face grow wider, she started to worry. "What're you smiling at?"

Rikku's smile remained as she looked on at Paine before saying in a knowing voice. "You just confessed as well.. I knew you had it for Baralai! I knew it, I knew it." Rikku cooed in a silly manner of joy.

Paine's faced turned horrified, she thought back through her lastest words and soon realised her misstake and where it was said. It all played over in her mind as she sighed in regret. It seemed that her mouth was just as bad as Rikku's.

_"..you weren't the only one between us that had the hots for someone. So you see, it's not just me, but you as well since your mouth..."_

Paine couldn't believe her misstake, and now realised that there was no getting out of this now that she had put herself in it, she silently cursed before turning on a new expression and turning to face Rikku. "At least Baralai isn't a punk like Gippal!" she said faintly, in reality she didn't think of Gippal that way. But she had to get back on Rikku for getting her to spill her secret out.

"Gippal's at least not a Yevon-obessed guy that still believes in the very religion that betrayed us all!" Rikku said back furiously, having to hear Paine trash Gippal as a punk just wasn't going by her.

"Well excuse him for at least believing in something other than digging in the sands of Bikanel and Machina!" Paine then fired back, she realised her misstake yet again in trashing someone's loved one in their faces. She saw a flicker of pain and sadness behind the amount of anger that Rikku's eyes gave away as she went in for a new response. But fortunatley for them, Buddy and Brother broke in.

"Give it up will you two!" Buddy said lamely, he always saw their endless fighting as, well..endless and meaningless.

"Buddy right, Rikku. You like Gippal, and Paine like Baralai.. Okey?" Brother said, pointing out the obvious. Rikku in her better state of mind wondered if she would really take a moment of care to listen to her brother's words. But she really didn't have a say in the matter as Buddy and Brother talked on.

"Brother's right, you two don't need to go trashing each others love-interest like that just because you two in some stupid way slipped your secrets out." Buddy said

"Yeah, what Buddy said! I thought you to be smarter than that, Rikku. I am ashamed of you for behaving..in..uhh..in such.. hmm" Brother said, losing the word he was looking for as his English had only slightly inproved in the last couple of days.

"In such a manner?" Shinra put in curiously, as he too had witnessed the on-going and pointless fight Rikku and Paine had on seconds earlier.

"Yes! I am ashamed of you behaving in such a manner, Rikku!" Brother then ended his earlier sentence with the help of Shinra.

"Is that so, Brother?" Rikku questioned, the look on her brother's face unbeatable as she went on. "I then have five words for you; _I don't give a care!"_

With that Brother only turned his back on them all, muttering a silent curse under his breath before walking away in a defeated way. He never really could get through to Rikku, and in reality.. The only one he felt ashamed of, was himself. He felt worthless as he over the passed few years never really had been able to control his younger sister or take care of her as a brother should do. Rikku had always been a girl of her own, and that made his heart sink silently as he envied her free spirit. She sometimes made him feel worthless unpurposely. He couldn't blame her for not seeing it, since he always covered all his pain and sadness up with his goofy attitude. He thought that if he acted this way, he would at least get some of his younger sisters acknowledgement and time. Even if all they ever said or spat to each other was words of curses and difference. Being that was how their relationship seemed like, he could at least at some level not always have to fake himself up. He was happy of the times he had with her, even how un-happy they turned out to be. At least he got to be there and watch over her in secret. He treasured the journey they all had been on those past weeks. He had come to prove his existance, if only a small amount, that he was there for Rikku always. It had always been Yuna, Rikku and Paine to be the ones to most oftently leave the airship to execute the missions and get the spheres. But from above, he always in some way got Yuna to watch over his sister. He had at a few moments gotten Paine to it as well. But mostly Yuna. He trusted them all with the same value, but Yuna was somehow special. He had clearly showed off to all of them that he had deeper feelings for Yuna than just friendship. It was after all only for Yuna that he tried so hard to improve his English. This was another part he felt ashamed off... His crush on Yuna. The very crush was not the problem, but the fact that he held on this long, when knowing that the feeling wasn't mutual, was what he was ashamed of. Yuna had only joined the Gullwings for one reason, she had only become a Sphere-Hunter for one reason; to find Tidus, to find her loved one.

And while knowing so, Brother had continued his interest for Yuna. Only to hurt himself deeper in the end. Tidus was back, Yuna was happy. Everyone was happy, while his own heart ached for the misstake he had himself caused. He deserved this, he concluded. He had this coming, and still he held on.. Hoping for a time together with Yuna, that would never come. Not even if Tidus hadn't returned. Brother felt miserable, he felt alone and ashamed. But he would look up, he was Brother. Son of Cid, leader of the Gullwings and commander on the Celsius. He would keep his faith up as he had always done earlier, and he would fight for Yuna's love. He would prove himself to be better than that blonde Tidus-whatever guy. He would be the protective brother and be there for Rikku when she would need it the most. With that in his mind he straightened his back and walked off in a proudly way instead of a defeated one, leaving all who was behind him confused and dumbfounded.

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**_That's it for this time everyone. I hope you enjoyed, review what you think and thought of it. I'll get a new chapter up as soon as possible by next week. But with school going on, I can't promise anything. Thank you all for reading!_**

**_Alexiel91 _ **


	7. Chapter 7: Always Like This

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1 as always I tell ya_**

**_Well, here I am again it seems. Saturday once more over here. Chapter 7 is what you will find below, and I have to tell you all that it's the longest chapter so far. Almost 5000words, 4888 words to be more exact. But we all get the point. I hope it will not be to tiredsome or boring, I remember spending quite sometime with it, and as I wrote time went by and the chapter grew. Reviews are most appreciated as always, and can tell you all that the story will take its start shortly, as previously stated, I do not like to rush things. And I really do hope you don't mind the way I take things. Please do enjoy Chapter 7 of Once More and remember to review _**

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Chapter 7 - Always Like This**

Things had gone smoothly right after Tidus and Yuna's arrival at the party together hand-in-hand. Rikku and Paine had apologized for their childish behaviour to each other and they had all joined into a joyful conversation with everyone. Vidina had since long fallen asleep in his mother's arms. Wakka had placed the infant to bed, upon Tidus and Yuna's arrival. 

Villagers came up to the group to congratulate Yuna several times, while thanking her for saving Spira once again, and to greet her fellow hero with a warm welcome. In rare moments, Yuna overheard the other villagers sometimes talk about seeing Tidus being carried unconscious back to the village by Yuna and her friends. She cringed every time the other one responded in a worried tone 'Maybe he's sick or something?' She felt her worry increase, but she would not let such nonsense break her. Tidus was not sick, nor was he getting sick, she kept telling herself inwardly. Every time she kept telling herself that silently, she would cast a glance at Tidus beside her when no one was watching.

In the beginning she noticed that he was full of life and energy and had returned to the conversation with the others with a smile on her face, knowing that he was fine. However, thinking that he may have been fine, didn't stop her from casting a glance over at him once in a while. His smile was somewhat faltering; she assumed it was at the loss of interest in the conversation, but as time went on he stopped talking as often and his smile was disappearing completely, being replaced with an expression she could not completely read.

In her worried state, she cursed herself for being too overprotective and worried. If she kept this up she could very well lose Tidus, and not for him being a dream this time, but for her always being worried and concerned. She would get old too fast if she kept this up. She casted this off as to Tidus probably being tired or something, as the time was certainly getting late and people had been interrupting her continuously to say their good nights before heading over to their homes.

The rest of the group sat quietly around the burning bonfire and listened to its' sparks. It was somewhat soothing and a perfect way to end a night that none of them would forget anytime soon. Spira was once again safe, The Eternal Calm would continue thanks to Lady Yuna once more. People wanted to savour this moment in their minds before heading to bed, knowing full well that in the village of Besaid was where their saviour would be spending her night quietly in a peaceful soft bed.

Rikku sat leaning forward towards the fire, her elbows pushed down on her thighs as her head tiredly rested on her hands. In all their growing tiredness, she was the first one to notice Tidus standing himself up with a stretch.

"Where are you going?" she asked, suppressing a yawn.

The glance he cast at her when he heard her question was somewhat doubtful, if not sickened.

"Just taking a stroll around the village, stretch my legs and all, you know?" He responded, faking a smile.

As he went to take his walk, not even having to have walked a few steps, he felt someone press up to his arm, taking a hold of it before turning him around to face her Sapphire and Emerald eyes.

Yuna had mulled over if she should ask him or not, she had earlier told herself to stop worrying so much. But she couldn't help herself, as he was her whole world now. She wanted to be sure.

"Are you okay?" Her slight trembling voice asked. If it had trembled out of worry or out of the coldness that she felt by being away from the fire, she couldn't really tell. She thought of it to be a little bit out of both.

The look in her eyes crushed him; he always seemed to make her worry. He hated himself for it; he hated himself for always causing that beautiful face of hers to always having to carry such a sad and concerned look every time he was nearby. He wondered if it had been right of him to come back if this was how life with her was going to be like. He loved the fact that she cared and worried, but he hated the fact that he was the one causing her heart to carry such saddened feelings. He always wanted her to smile, and not spend any minute of any single day needing to carry the expression she carried now. Her question was slightly difficult to answer. If she meant okay, as in okay in their relationship, then he would tell her that okay was not enough to explain how good he felt in it all, but that wasn't probably what she was searching for, at least her eyes didn't say so.

She was wondering if he, as a person felt okay. He would be lying if he said that he had never felt better, because in fact, he had felt much better than this on many other occasions. Even when they fought Seymour and he ended up with cuts and bruises he had felt better than this, but he couldn't just go admitting to this beautiful young woman in front of him that he felt like every part of him would just fall apart at any moment in exhaustion. He had never felt this tired before, or weak for that matter. Things had gone so good and everything had been fun for him up until a few hours earlier, when he felt the insides of him slightly complaining. He had only shoved it off as a momentary feeling, and nothing that he would ever feel again. How wrong he had been, it had only got worse and now he felt that he could barely stand, he had only stood up to try and get away from them before breaking down there, causing a ruckus and worrying them all, especially Yuna. Hadn't she already worried for him enough? No, he wouldn't put her through something like that again. He would go off to some place, let out whatever pain he felt. And hopefully he would regain strength to return a short while later with enough energy to convince them all that he was fine and that it was time for him to head for bed, but now, he now stood with Yuna by his side, still wearing that same tired concerned expression on her face, as she patiently awaited his answer. He would have to say a tiny white lie here for her, he thought. He hated lying, even tiny white lies, but it was required here. He would protect her from everything in this world, even her love for him he would protect by not letting her see him like this. Every other way would work for her to see him, but not like this.

"I'm fine, Yuna." He smiled. "I just need to take a walk, that's all. Now head back to the others, I'll be right back."

"But what about fiends?" She hesitantly asked.

Fiends did have a thing for appearing during the night when everyone else was safely tucked under their blankets in a deep sleep.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've been around here before, remember?" He smirked.

Damn, he had to get out of there quick, he thought, before it was too late. At this point, not even fiends scared him more than seeing Yuna's terrified face when, whatever was coming, hit him. She loved him and he loved her, simply put like that. A terrified face whenever something went wrong with one another would come to each of them. He saw Yuna looking down at her waist; her right hand slowly went down to the hilt where one of her guns was safely tucked. She slowly took it out and handed him it before turning up with a shy smile.

"Take this with you, just in case, to protect yourself." She said quietly.

She had much more preferred to follow him, but she sensed that it wouldn't be such a good idea, so she offered him her gun as protection. If she couldn't be there to protect him, then she at least hoped that one of the weapons that had helped her through so much would help him if needed.

It took a while before Tidus willingly took a hold of the weapon she offered, and with a quick kiss to her soft cheek he went off with grateful, 'thank you.' She only watched him go, worry in her eyes, her heart, and her soul. She would just have to believe and hope, that he would be fine. After all, with him gone right after she had got him back would indeed break her, inside and out. Life just wasn't worth it without him, she concluded, before heading back to the others that still sat by the fire.

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"Where could they be dammit?" Nooj roared throughout Youth Leagues Headquarters, in his office.

He was beyond worried, he was now raging with a loss of words and hope.  
He deeply cared for his soldiers' safety and if Aiko and Laq had in any ways had got injured he would spend the next few months cursing and hating himself. However, if the two of them was just out around Spira fooling around with their pay checks, Yevon forbid them ever coming back. Only then, he would truly injure them himself. It had almost gone three days since he had sent Laq out to get Aiko and head to Guadosalam. Normally, they would've been back the very same day at night, but they were now over two days late, heading to a third one. Nooj could only worry at this.  
He kept wondering where they were, what was going on, what they had found in Guadosalam, and if they were all right.

"I will give them a few more hours." He spoke to himself, calming his frail nerves. "Just a few more hours."

"Talking to yourself again are you, Nooj?" Baralai's calm, smiling voice asked.

Nooj looked up to see his former rival and Yevon-believer, as Baralai let himself in.

"Very funny, Baralai." Nooj said back, as he yet again looked down at the small document Laq had handed him two days earlier, when the distressed signal from Guadosalam had been received.

After a while of silence, Nooj finally looked up to meet Baralai's curious and quiet face and said, "I actually had a reason for it this time."

Baralai didn't know if he should've taken this as a joke or a moment of seriousness, but as he knew Nooj, he was always more the serious type. Nooj had always been the serious one in their team four years ago, as they were set on a mission to go inside The Den Of Woe to get accepted into the Crimson Squad. That was probably why they had quickly made him leader. Nooj had always been the serious leader, with that in mind, Baralai threw away the laughing matter and went to ask his friend what was bothering him.

"Well, what's wrong then?"

"It seems that we received a distressed message from Guadosalam. It didn't say much, only that something was malfunctioning and something about someone escaping something there." Nooj started, as he read through the document in front of him.

"I sent Laq and Aiko out to check everything out there, before deciding if sending out a squad was necessary or not."

"Is that so?" Baralai curiously muttered while pondering over the matter himself.

It did seem strange. He wondered since when the Guado's ever had problem with malfunctions and escape?

"It does seem strange, I must agree. What could possibly be malfunctioning there and who would want to escape what? They barely have anything there besides that plaza of Leblanc's and shops around." Baralai muttered taking a seat in front of Nooj.

"Indeed, but what I last heard of Leblanc she was on her way to Macalania. So I guess she had no idea of what's going on there, otherwise she would've send a message to me herself."

"Macalania?"

"I said this to Gippal earlier, and I will say it again. Don't ask me, Leblanc lives in a world of her own." Nooj said with a shake of his head.

"I see" Baralai chuckled. "What's bothering you then? Did Laq and Aiko return with bad news?"

"I only wish they could've done that, but the thing is that they haven't returned at all. It's been two days now, almost three."

"Are you serious? A trip to Guadosalam and back can't possibly take that long, maybe a day and a half. But almost three?" Baralai said surprised.

He could now sense Nooj's worry and stress. A walk to Guadosalam only required a walk leading to Djose, a turn into the Moonflow, from there a Shopuff ride over the ocean to the other side, and take the small path leading right into the heart of Guadosalam. A day's time it would take forth and back if fiends encounter were included.

"I'm afraid and I can't say that I'm not worried. Something must have got in their way, or went terribly wrong." Nooj stated in frustration.

"If you're that worried, why don't you send out a squad to see what happened to them?" Baralai asked in confusion. Surely he had sent out some people to look around.

"There's no one in at this moment. They're all out helping out in other situations or sphere-hunting." Nooj explained.

"I see, we share the same problem then. The only ones left in Bevelle are the priest-apprentices." Baralai let out, and then follow with a sigh. "And as you may know, they're not combat-trained in any way."

"Yeah, I know. What I don't know is what I'm to do?"

"Maybe we should check it up ourselves?" Baralai suggested. "It's not like I have to be around Bevelle for a while. I rather avoid Bevelle for some time." He said, as he remembered once again how Jai had tried convincing him on his way out earlier that day. The face Baralai had on, told Nooj enough.

"I won't ask you about it just yet then." Nooj smiled. Soon his smile faltered and his serious expression returned. "But I might think that your idea is in need. I will leave here shortly. If you want to tag along it's up to you if you can manage to time up with my schedule."

"Of course, I can't see why we can't leave right this moment." Baralai stood up, all ready to go.  
"I see." Nooj smirked. "Wait just a while as I get to inform Nadia in to take over for me here during my absence."

"Of course." Baralai smiled knowingly.

Whatever awaited them in Guadosalam, and whatever might've happened to Nooj's men, they would soon discover. Whatever it was, adventure or not, Baralai somehow looked forward to what awaited them beyond the ocean that divided the Moonflow camp and Guadosalam. He only wished that Gippal and Paine were with them, only then could he relive the team spirit they all shared four years previous.

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Walking through the endless path around Besaid Village had never been such a pain before, in Tidus' mind, as it was this time. Never had it seemed endless and tiresome before for him, but then again, he had never felt this way before either and supposedly that it was because of his condition that everything seemed endless and painful.

He wasn't quite sure how long it had been since he left Yuna and the others by the fire to take his walk around. He supposed it had been around twenty to thirty minutes ago, and he cursed himself for taking so long on a road that only had taken him fifteen minutes to go through, whenever he had taken it as a morning stroll in Besaid during the time they fought Sin. Yuna and the others probably had noticed his long absence through their sleepy state, but he hoped they all were to deep into their sleepy thoughts and dreams to notice.

The reason that he had taken this walk was because of in any way possible not to worry them, especially Yuna, but then again, whom was he kidding? He clearly understood that they would be worried. Clearly whatever had happened to him earlier by the beach made them all worry, even Yuna had become so affected by it that she clearly avoided the subject. He wondered; did this have something to do with it as well?

Connection or not, it hurt. It hurt to be that weak, to be in so much pain, but most of all, it hurt to be in need of hiding it, to lie about it, to not know what was wrong, to be divided in a confusing state, and pondering the question if he should worry or not. Yeah, it hurt all right.

Tiredly walking in a sloppy way turned out to be bad news, as Tidus stumbled over his feet and hit the ground square on. He groaned a sarcastic "Perfect." as he carefully pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around. Finding what he needed, he dragged himself slowly to the nearby tree and leaned his back on it, while stretching his tired legs out. There he sat, tiredly trying to steady his breathing into a normal pace, as it was bothersome having to gasp after air after few seconds. Damn, was he ever tired and weak, he thought.

"What's going on?" he silently asked, as he somewhat calmed his breathing.

He sat there, the question swimming around head until he no longer could bare it. His thoughts stopped, as he mentally screamed out inside his head in agony. Flashes of forgotten moments went through his mind one by one, as he tried to comprehend them as it all flooded back to him.

_"Welcome back, Tidus" a woman had smilingly greeted shaking his hand warmly._

_"Thank you" Tidus smiled back._

_"Welcome back!" the echoing voice of the tender boy of the age of 10 greeted with a grin, at the hero's return. "We've missed you!" He stated, making Tidus' heartache with warmness and joy._

_"I've missed you all too. It's good to be back, you know!" Tidus smiled, ruffling the kids hair around, in a brotherly way before hearing yet another greeting._

_"Welcome home, kid." a middle-aged man had said, graciously taking Tidus' young form in a manly hug. Shocked by it Tidus only nervously laughed a "Thanks."_

Tidus remembered the long hours of greetings and welcomes from when he came back by the beach's shore. How had he forgotten the joy everyone had brought to him at that moment?

_He felt the water splash around him as the huge ship landed, nearly running him over, in what seemed to be unintentionally. He turned around with a sudden life-saving reaction and quickly turned again to eye the ship. A sudden smile came to his face, and soon enough he saw the beauty be had been longing to hold, jump down in a graceful way and swiftly drop her feet into the water._

_He saw her sprint towards him, with love and happiness, in her eyes and her expression showed nothing of longing. Soon enough she had thrown herself into his arms and he held onto her tightly. Never wanting to let go, he feared that he would truly lose this moment if he'd let anything go wrong._

_He soon felt her back away a few inches, as they stared into one another's eyes.  
She nervously asked what he too was wondering._

_"Are you real?"_

_He pondered the question, as he tried to come up with the right answer. He truthfully didn't know, but he felt like it._

_"I think so." He answered._

_It might've sounded a bit weird thinking that he was real, but in his situation, knowing of his true existence and its' end earlier. He really didn't know what else to say.  
Her eyes scanned him and her face never gave away the shade of happiness even though worry was trying to cover it all up. Softly he felt her lay her hands against his chest, feeling him._

_This time around, she did not pass through him as she had the last time they had been in each other's presence. That painful memory of two years ago had haunted her every day to this very moment, and it was a pain she hoped to never relieve, as she felt her hands on his solid chest. He wasn't transparent; he felt it too and he couldn't stop himself from asking her._

_"Do I pass?"_

_She eyed him, those beautiful eyes hadn't changed one bit, her style had changed, her outfit was defiantly not the one he remembered her wearing during the defeat of Sin. Her hair was cut in layers, and behind her she had saved up a long strands of hair that hanged gracefully behind her, but her eyes remained, those Blue & Green Bi-coloured eyes looked at him, right through him. He couldn't do much but gaze at them as he waited for her long-awaited answer._

_"Mhm." She had quietly hushed out under her breath in a small nod. She then tilted her head sideways and smiled in approval. "You're back."_

_Those words cut through his every limb, as he heard the words he had wanted to hear for so long. The words of being back somewhere, somewhere he belonged. His face turned into a heartfelt one, as he took in a deep breath before breathing out._

_"I am back. I'm home." He had said, with overwhelming happiness._

_He took her small form into his warm embrace at this moment and held onto her lovingly. He felt her gentle small hands creep around his back and held onto him as well. He then felt her warm breath on his chest, as she silently spoke so only the two of them heard._

_"Welcome home."_

_Those were words of joy, he held her tighter. He never wanted to let her go now that he had found her again. She was his everything, and he would never ever take her or their time for granted now that he had been given a second chance in a life he had in fact never really had. He thanked everyone and everything for this gift, for this moment. He thanked everyone and everything, for her._

Tidus sighed and felt tears threaten his eyes, as he remembered the tearful reunion he had with Yuna. Such a moment in time to be lost and only remembered by Yuna tore him. The pain he felt now wasn't enough to punish him for not remembering such an important moment, as his reunion with her. He felt sick for not remembering.

_"You didn't respond to anything in minutes...are you okay?" Her worried voice had asked. She was so beautiful, such a worried expression should not have to belong on her face, he had thought._

_He felt weak, tired, and sick. More closely, he felt dead, but he loved her; she had to know. He would take that worried face away from her beauty._

_"I'm fine, really." He said convincingly._

_"Okay, if you say so." He heard her saying, if she bought the lie or not he couldn't tell. He was too tired to notice._

_"Yeah" He found himself saying with a nod._

_Hatred for himself was raging inside him; he hated to lie. A white lie, as he seemed it to be was still a lie in the end and he hated to lie to her. He didn't want to worry her, never in his lifetime would he want her to carry such expressions when it came to him. He felt tired. Loss of sleep, he thought, but how could he be tired? He had been sleeping for two years in the Farplane. Or had he? He couldn't remember. All he could remember and see was her face and he smiled._

_He had to let her know. "Yuna." He felt himself whisper. "Before I disappeared that time on the ship." It pained him to speak of that moment. Memories of that time came flooding back to him and he saw that it came back to her in the same painful way as well._

_"I wanted to say the same words to you, but I couldn't." He said weakly, his voice wretched with pain. Whatever he had planned on hiding from her; was not far beyond his reach, as it was clear for the world to see, that he felt awful. Her eyes were full of concern and he cursed himself quietly._

_"Tidus, what's wrong?" Her angelic voice asked concerned._

_The most beautiful voice he could ever wish to hear. He would not answer this question, he did not know._

_"I figured that, if I said it, that it would've been more painful." He said between tired gasps._

_Damn it all. Damn whatever it was making him feel like this, especially during a moment like this.  
This was supposed to be a happy moment between them, not a surprised and painful one. Damn it all._

_He felt Yuna's hand forcefully grasp him, as she shook him, panic evident, as she tried to get him to answer her question._

_"Tidus! Please, tell me what's wrong! What's going on?" He harboured an excessive amount of pain and hatred inside himself. How could he make her feel like this? Even though thinking of this, he still pressed on the more important matter. She had to know in case there was no tomorrow._

_"I'm so tired, Yuna. I-I want to say it now... I have to." He said._

_He seriously had to get it all out. Her worried face plagued him and all he felt was pity for her, having to see him in such a disgraceful state._

_"I love you."_

_There, it had come out into the open world. He had expressed his inner feelings that he needed her to know._

_"Tell me, please! Tidus! What's wrong? Tidus? Tidus? Tidus?"_

_That was the last he had heard her yell, before darkness consumed him. How he welcomed it._

"Damn!" He screamed out for everyone to hear, as he remembered.

That was the most painful memory to remember of what he had forgotten. He was such an idiot, to lose such a precious moment. How did Yuna feel about this? He could only imagine the pain she felt.

He had left her thinking she was the only one to remember such a key scene in their lives. The sickness was getting to him and he yelled again at the painful weakness. He felt his eyelids become heavier from where he sat, staring out into the woods of Besaid. He had been gone for almost an hour now; he assumed Yuna and the others had noticed his absence by now and with his screams echoing throughout the night, he would soon have company, friend or foe. It would be up to fate to decide.

His hand that had held onto Yuna's weapon all this time, slowly lost its' grip, as he felt his breathing slow down to the point that he didn't find himself breathing at all. This was his destiny after all; he thought, forever to be cursed in a life of never ending pain and misery. Yuna was the only light in it all and it seemed that he could not even have her, as he knew, he was already having a hard enough time even being conscious around her.

The gun completely dropped to the ground with a thud, as he sat still in that position. His breathing so shallow, that it wasn't noticeable. His eyes shutting closed and his mind enclosed in darkness. It would always be like this; twilight between light and darkness for him and all he could do was give in, into the darkness of it all, as it finally took him over as his eyelids completely shut closed.


	8. Chapter 8: It Begins

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1 (Geez, this is getting old .)_**

**_Okay, people! Chapter 8 arrives a bit earlier this time since I might get busy tomorrow celebrating a friend of mine who turned 15 today. Hurray! Hah, even so.. This chappie might have a few typos here and there and maybe a bit hard to understand.. I don't know, I understand mostly what I write.. But how you see it is another point. Although I do have a question to ask you all. Should I continue with this project of just dump it? Not many people does seem to read.. Oh well, I do get many reads.. but no reviews.. Which somewhat makes it seem pointless to write if I don't know what you people like and want. But I don't know.. A plus to stop writing is that I have school to think about as well. So I don't know.. Might be that I'll just dump this and move onto a bit more important things.. like homework.. But I do enjoy writing as hell, so I somehow see that important as well to put on the top-list. If it's something you enjoy then it is important that you do it, but why do it if no one appreciates it? Hah, man I'm such a baby today . Either way, I think it depends on how I choose, but also on what you write. Continue or discontinue! That is the question!_**

**_Either way, I thank you once again for reading and hopefully for some reviews.. I present to you Chapter 8 of Once More! - PS. Al Bhed comes into this chapter, But I've put the translation at the bottom of the page! Another question for you to decide. Translation at the end? Or right after the sentance in italics?_**

**_ENJOY! _**

**_ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**  
Chapter 8 - It Begins**

The horror smell still lingered throughout the halls of Guadosalam. Everything laid in silence, in death. Blood stains splattered across every wall the eye could meet. Looking over his beautiful work of art that he had much enjoyed creating he smirked. The smell of death intertwined with the dry-up blood was a smell he hadn't been able to smell for centuries. How he had missed it all; the smell, the look, the screams and cries of agony as he killed merclessly. With a swift wave of his hand he sent the crippled bodies of the former living soldiers Laq and Aiko. He continued grinning as he remembered their faces when they retold him of his previous death that could be read all over Spira in the ancient histories of Spira. It suprised him, that unworthy people like them knew so much of the past.

It was ridiculous in fact, that men so young as they were had actually taken their time to dig through old books and read through the ancient times. Times and events long before their own time.

An amusing fact as well, but nonetheless, it mattered nothing to him if they knew of his existance before the beginning of time or his painful banishment to death.

He only thought of it to be amusing, that they recognized him so quickly for his features and expression. So easily recognized by people who had only read and seen a few pictures of him in dusty old books. He well knew about the books that they had read, he had seen them himself from where he had been in his after-life for ten centuries. He had been watching from the very moment the books were created, and while so.. he only laughed. Laughed at their ignorant thoughts of truly knowing of his powers and history. In his eyes it was a deep insult for such filthy and pathetic being as humans to write down his name on paper.

To explain to the world of him and his story which they knew nothing about! It was disgraceful to be having to see it all happening in front of him, not being able to stop it. Not even the angels of heaven would ever be worthy enough to speak of him, nevertheless tell the world about him. No, he was worth much more. The only person good enough to speak of him, was himself. The universe of Spira would once again know his name! And not from old dusty history books anymore. No, they would know his name in many other ways. And whenever they spoke or heard of his name they would shiver and cry underneath their skins.

"Ignorant fools..." he spat under his smirk as his eyes laid upon the broken and torn body of Laq. Aiko had been the smart one between them for wanting to run out of there. And Laq had been the stupid one for trying to prove his non-existance by shooting at him. If he had ever had feelings during this life he had been forced to live ever since the incidence from when he lost his soul

he would have to remember Laq's bravery for opposing him on such matter. It was foolish, to ever think he could prove anything by shooting him. Even though it hadn't done any harm to him, it had still been an insult for a human to ever raise a weapon in front of him. He had rewarded them gracefully enough for them to ever be able to pay him back. He had ended their life in outmost pleasure for their actions. Not even in death would they ever be able to repay him the beautiful gift he had given them. His eyes shot to where Aiko's body was thrown. The young mans corpse had been fully crushed and disoriented. The screams he had heard when he ripped Aiko out of his flesh and life as he had known it still echoed through his head. It was a feeling of heaven to him, a good way to be welcomed back into the world he had once been robbed of.

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"Lusa uh huf, Luc! Cinamo oui ghuf ruf du veq ed nekrd?" Gippal's pleading voice asked throughout the center of the Djose temple. He eyed his friend Luc desperetely.

They were both concerned for what destiny the Machina Experiment awaited after it had meet the power of Yuna, Rikku and Paine less than half a week ago.

When Gippal and the other Al Bhed's witnessed the Experiment that they had worked so hard on easily get shut down by Yuna and her friends they felt like having a heartattack.

Remembering that moment, Gippal remembered how he nervously pushed it away as fixable. Now he wasn't all that sure anymore as not even his best mechanic Luc was able to figure out why it refused to work. The growing headache flashed before Gippal's eyes as he tiredly settled himself next to Luc on the floor. Both eyeing with sadness the machine in front of them which they had spent so much time in creating.

"Hu, Gippal. E's yvnyet dryd E zicd tuh'd ghuf ruf du veq ed." Luc said in apology. To both Gippal and himself.

"Ed'c ugyo... Ed'c hud ouin vyimd." Gippal sighed, burying his head into his cold hands, blocking out the image of the machine and the growing headache. It was truly not such a big deal, it was only a machina. But when he thought back to the joy and hard work he and his friends had put into building it, he knew that he couldn't just sigh and tell himself that shit happens. It was somewhat of a pain, knowing that the machine they had worked so hard on was easily crushed by humans. Females nonetheless. Now he groaned inwardly, what was he thinking? Was he seriously ashamed by his and his men's work being overpowered by females?

He had always known not to mess around with womens, he knew of their inner strength that could break just about anything. He should've known better than to let a machine meet the wrath of Yuna and her friends. Seeing that they were probably the strongest trio Spira had encountered in a very long time. Now he had seriously no doubt of the power females held. He would never ever doubt the trio's strength by that either anymore. With another groan of shame and distress Gippal finally let himself look up from his hands to the machine that quietly laid before him. "E kiacc dryd E ihtanacdesydat draen cdnahkdr... E kiacc E ihtanacdesydat Rikku." he softly admitted.

Luc turned to his right side where Gippal sat and let out a small smile. He had always known Gippal would somewhat bring Rikku up whenever he could.

"E caa... tu oui drehg cra fyc uvvahtat po ed?" Luc asked, looking back at the machina with a far-off look in his eyes. For now he would not care about its fate. Now he would only talk.

"Fru?" Gippal distractingly questioned.

"Rikku."

"E tuh'd ghuf.. Syopa, syopa hud. " he truthfully stated. Back then, he didn't think that he actully cared enough to think about it as he was nervously thinking about the shutdown Machina Experiment they had built. He guessed that he was somewhat of an ass. Thinking more about a machine that had no feelings nor life in the meaning of the word, instead of thinking of the girls feelings.

"E tuh'd drehg E naymmo duug dra desa du lyna pylg drah." he said afterwards, he could only see Luc nod slightly with his eyes still fixed upon the giant metall junk in front of them.

"E tuh'd drehg cra kud ymm syt naymmo. Syopa y meddma rind uv ouin mylg uv vyedr eh ran. Pid cra'c cdnuhk. Cra tuach'd mad lnyb lusehk vnus oui kad du ran. " Luc smiled.

Gippal only hissed at this. "Frydajan." then he went back to thinking. He thought through what Luc had just said, and he hoped that his friend was right. Which he probably was, 'cause he mostly always was the one knowing more about life than Gippal. He had always been the crazy and free-spirited one. The one sending crap out of his mouth. If Rikku was as strong as Luc made har out to be, then he was also right about her nor letting his crap reach her. Gippal went to stand and he streched a bit, trying to ease the sore pain he felt as his muscles felt stiffer than ever.

Before he went to head out of the temple and take a daily walk to the Moonflow and back, he uttered: "Pid syopa oui'na nekrd..." before walking away from his friend Luc.

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The bonfire had now been extinguished since long ago as Yuna tiredly sat by herself in front of the blackened spot where the fire had earlier been burning full of life.

The late hours of the nights had approached and everyone was safely tucked underneath their blankets sleeping peacefully in warmth as their minds were off in a distant world so unlike

the real one in a deep slumber dream. Yuna's eyes closed every now and then as her mind went off into a dazed state between slumber and wake. She was the only one out there after the others had said their good-nights after she insisting that they didn't have to wait around with her for Tidus return. That had all been about an hour ago, maybe a bit more.

In her half-awake state she still remembered the conversation that had occured after Tidus departure for his walk around the village. It was all so vivid in her mind at that moment that it almost felt like she was actually reliving it all in her dreams.

_"Where'd he go off to?" Paine was the first one to ask after she had settled herself down together with the others around the fire yet again._

_"Said that he needed to take a walk." she responded quietly._

_"Why didn't you go with him?" Rikku's voice chirped in askingly as she eyes her cousin down in confusion. Knowing full well that after that days event, letting Tidus go by himself was not a good option until they all knew what had happened to him earlier._

_"He said that he would rather take this walk for some alone time to think." she heard herself lying. He hadn't said any of that. But the look she had seen in his eyes told her that much._

_"I see..." Paine mumbled while stifling a yawn she felt coming. But to no avail, as Yuna saw her yawn tiredly._

_"Why don't you all go to sleep or something. You all look beat. I thank you all for this joyful party, it will not be forgotten for a very long time." Yuna smiled._

_"Nah, we'll wait around with you until Tidus returns, ya." Wakka offered in his own consumed tiredness._

_"No, no. Please don't let me keep you all up. I'll be fine, I rather enjoy the silence for a while and some time to think for myself as well." Yuna declared shortly with a faint smile spread across her face. She was meet by all four sets of eyes belonging to the group around her that she felt she could call family. And the meeting gazes only stopped when they all heard the utterly tired yawn coming from Rikku. "Maybe she's right guys," Rikku yawned again. "it's been a long day and we all need our little own time."_

_"Precisely" Yuna voiced through them all. _

_"I don't know Yuna," Wakka started but was right cut off by Yuna's urging and tempting voice._

_"Aww, come on now. You know you want to get all cozy and warm underneath a soft blanket and all."_

_"Okay, okay. Give it up with the tempting already." Paine groaned. "It's bad enough that I have to drag myself and probably Rikku back to the airship before getting some sleep."_

_Yuna giggled at Paine's response and shot a glance at Rikku who was barely maintaining in the conversation any longer as she sunk deeper and deeper into a restless and tired sleep._

_"I think you're right. Might get going then before she's completely out of reach. You know how she can get." Yuna winked, only to recieve an sarcastic look that Paine shot her way._

_"I heard that y-you know..." Rikku mumbled from her distant connection from the real world._

_Yuna was about to answer them all with yet another statement of them all going to bed already, but Lulu seemed to speak up before her._

_"Very well then, Yuna. We'll head to bed, but only because of our clear tiredness and your endless talk about wanting to wait alone."_

And a little over an hour later, Yuna found herself where she sat now. Cold and lonely, all comsumed up in concern as she waited for Tidus to return. Finding it rather too boring and all to much concerned Yuna finally decided on taking a walk down the path Tidus had taken earlier and see just how long it really took to take the walk he had intended to do.

She walked down the long road going around the whole village with gentle steps and admired the real beauty of Besaid that she could only find in the depths of night. The moonlight shined above the island in purity and innocence and she found her mind drifting off to her own innocence. A subject she very much rarely thought of, seeing that her life had been so much consumed by the many years that Sin terrorized Spira through her while childhood and into her teenage years.

She had never actually had time for guys in particular. She had started off her Summoner's Journey at the age of 17 when the relationship between male and female said to be most heated. And she had continued on her adventures around Spira for 2 years after Sin's destruction in search for Tidus. The only male she had really gotten her first connection with and her first love. Probably the only male guy out there that she could ever love and trust fully.

She was innocent she guessed, she knew nothing of foreplay before consumation. She knew nothing of how the ecstasy of love really felt like. She knew none of that. She was pure and innocent when it came to her feminine sides. But other parts of herself probably wasn't so innocent anymore. She knew very much of how to fight and hurt fiends such as people when needed. Her clothing style was certainly short of innocent as well, as she found herself hanging out with Rikku and really explore her female body.

Even though she knew nothing of the depths of an relationship or the male and female bonding, she sure enough knew how to make herself feel good and show off her perfect form in the clothing she now wore instead of the Summoner's robe she had been using 2 years earlier. She looked up at the moon once more and still saw it's purity of innocence. She knew of how her purity laid like, but what she now wondered was how far Tidus had come when it came to exploring the depths of mysteries that Yuna had yet to explore.

Never had she before gotten to think of Tidus past life in his dream world of Zanarkand. Knowing fully well that Tidus only was a dream and everything from his Zanarkand had also been a dream, she then knew that whatever he had done back then hadn't been real. But it didn't keep her from wondering just how many girls Tidus had actually dated or maybe even shared a bed with.

He had after all been the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, a title not many people got to have. Therefor making him a very popular guy in his hometown, especially with womens, she dispicably thought. It bugged her somewhat, thinking of Tidus past girlfriends if he had had any. And she cursed herself for even thinking such nonsense, and for the slight jelousy feeling that she felt within her.

Whatever Tidus had done in his previous life in Zanarkand was none of her business. What was her business was what he would be doing now, in her time and in her world, with her.

But as she walked on down the path she agreed with herself to maybe sometime ask him of his time and life back in his never-sleeping Zanarkand. But for now, she would have to find him to be able to ask him. And finding him was her first priority as her feelings of concern returned and she speeded up in search for her beloved which she feared had happened something to.

Within minutes she almost found herself running along the road in search. She didn't even feel the slightest tired anymore as all she could think of was finding Tidus and make sure he was okay.

The road coninued and she started to doubt wether or not she had taken the same way as Tidus. The trees around her shook slightly as a wailed breeze of the wind passed them by with a quiet sound of silence. The bushes around both sides of the road laid lonely and quiet as the night went on all over Besaid in darkness. As she continued running in a neutral pace she thought she caught a glimpse of Tidus black and yellow torso outfit a bit ahead. Coming a bit closer she quickly speeded up full speed as she noticed that it indeed was her Tidus lying with his back against a tree behind him in total stillness.

She knew something had gone wrong and blamed herself for ever letting him go alone. She was now at his side and she stopped abruptly before throwing herself down on her knees before him and carefully taking a hold of him and eyeing him tearfully. He didn't even react to her sudden presence or actions. He laid completely still, eyes closed and chest barely moving.

She quickly went to seek for a pulse and breathed out softly in relief as she felt the very weak signal he gave away. Her relief was only for that moment as she knew he was slipping away from them.

His breath came in small shallow gasps as he laid completely limp. She tried shaking him gently at first.

"Tidus?" silently asking, hoping for his reaction which didn't come. ''Please, Tidus. Don't do this to me again." she begged. "Don't leave me."

Her heart broke when he still didn't show any movement or reaction to her voice nor her presence. It was like he didn't know that she was there, beside him, holding his arms firmly. It was as if he thought he was all alone, preparing himself for a painful departure with no one around. Swallowing the next river of tears that treathened to come out, Yuna braced herself and took a deep breath that she tried to relax herself with.

She then went to gently remove Tidus from leaning back against the tree and gently took his limp form into her embrace. Moments later she had his head propped up against her lap. Her left hand gently stroking through his sunkissed hair while her right hand rested softly on his chest, feeling the vaguely and weak motion when his chest rose and fell together with his breathing. And all she could do through it all was to watch him, his every feauture in every single angle that she could, as she feared that she wouldn't be able to see him much longer.

She wanted to get help, she wanted so desperetely to save Tidus. But who could she get at this moment of night? She had left her communication-microphone back at her hut seeing it that she wouldn't need to carry it with her during the bonefire festival. Who could she get in the middle of a road around Besaid? Who could she manage to get that was still awake? The answer came to her as one whole answer, _no one..._

She brought her right hand from his chest up to his cheek, there she gently stroked his ever so softly skin and smiled through her now free-falling tears. His beautiful tanned skin was now deadly pale as is existance in life grew fader. She thought back to all their moments together. Happy ones such as sad ones, the treausered them all. It was always going to be their memories together, and she still refused to let him become a memory like those moments now were.

She would always be able to look back at her journet together with him as a memory of a time when Sin raged through Spira and he had been the one to save them all, to save her. But she would never be able to look back on him being a memory of her first love. For her, he would always be more than just a memory of time.

"I love you, Tidus. I always have, and I always will." she sobbed. She continued caressing his face awaiting the dreadful hour when she would truly lose him. But as the minutes went something she never thought could ever occur again happened before her eyes. And through her tearful eyes, she looked back at the little boy she had always talked to during her time as a Summoner.

"He knows, and he loves you as well." the Fayth had said.

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_**Okay people! That was Chapter 8.. Review with your thoughts and answer. It mostly depends on all of you now!  
If you think I'll shall discontinue than say so, but no flames! You can say it nicely, right? I tried at least.. Knowing that you want me to discontinue will sadden me enough without you having to throw in rude comments.  
Well, til' next time probably.. Thank you all for reading!  
**_

_**  
**_

**Al Bhed Translation:**

_Lusa uh huf, Luc! Cinamo oui ghuf ruf du veq ed nekrd? - Come on now, Luc! Surely you know how to fix it right?_

_Hu, Gippal. E's yvnyet dryd E zicd tuh'd ghuf ruf du veq ed. - No, Gippal. I'm afraid that I just don't know how to fix it._

_Ed'c ugyo... Ed'c hud ouin vyimd. - It's okay... It's not your fault._

_E kiacc dryd E ihtanacdesydat draen cdnahkdr... E kiacc E ihtanacdesydat Rikku. - I guess that I underestimated their strength... I guess I underestimated Rikku._

_E caa... tu oui drehg cra fyc uvvahtat po ed? - I see... do you think she was offended by it?_

_E tuh'd ghuf.. Syopa, syopa hud. - I don't know... Maybe, maybe not._

_E tuh'd drehg E naymmo duug dra desa du lyna pylg drah. - I don't think I really took the time to care back then._

_E tuh'd drehg cra kud ymm syt naymmo. Syopa y meddma rind uv ouin mylg uv vyedr eh ran. Pid cra'c cdnuhk. Cra tuach'd mad lnyb lusehk vnus oui kad du ran. _

_I don't think she got all mad really. Maybe a little hurt of your lack of faith in her. But she's strong. She doesn't let crap coming from you get to her. _

_Frydajan. - Whatever._

_Pid syopa oui'na nekrd... - But maybe you're right..._


	9. Chapter 9: Disturbance

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1!_**

**_Okay, Chapter 9 seems to have made its way up.. barely.. Well, I don't know how to do yet. A part of me says dump it, another one says keep it... It's all so confusing... Hmm, oh well, awaits to see. The plot is starting to show itself a bit in this chapter I hope.. Not all that much, but at least a bit. I hope it isn't all too boring, suffering from writers block a bit these days. Rather annoying actually. But I thank those who keeps reviewing. Keep it coming in will ya! Gonna stop talking now and let you read Chapter 9 of Once More now!_**

**_Please do enjoy!  
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**Chapter 9 - Disturbance**

Nausea overcame Rikku in her sleep as her dreaming continued while she refused to awake. The softness of the bed she laid in was far to great and cozy for her to wanting to leave it for a run to the bathroom. Her dreams were peaceful and enjoyable. In her disconnected state from reality she felt all this and just refused the calling urge to get to the nearest bathroom. Surely she had a bit too much fun partying earlier.

The side effects to it all kicked in with sudden force and she had to open her eyes painfully. She groaned at the force of her throbbing headache and threw the bedcovers off of her and sprinted down the staircase that was near where her bed was stationed. She quickly jumped the last few steps and ran into the bathroom just by the ending of the staircase.

Well in there she threw up whatever bad she had in herself feeling disgusted every second through the process. Feeling like an age later she found herself empty from anything more to throw up and leaned heavily on the nearest wall. A very audible groan escaped her mouth as she sunk down into a sitting position, still having the wall as a helping hand.

"Ugh, never again will I try anything strange-looking that came out of Lulu's kitchen." she moaned in her nausea. Her mind went back to the purple-like gravy she had earlier shoved down her troath to feed her hunger during the party. She remembered asking Lulu what it was in it, but didn't really pay any attention to what Lulu had replied as she had tasted the delicous yet strange-looking sauce.

It was a shame that something so good would make her feel so bad afterwards. She was already ready to bet it was the gravy that had made her all queasy, seeing that everything else she had eaten during that time was nothing foreign nor unknown. She knew exactly what she would be able to keep within herself in contempt without any puking side-effects.

"Never ever again.."

"What's wrong?" Paine's mixed voice of worry and curiousity asked, and Rikku turned her head to her right and squinted through her tear-full eyes to out-line Paine's tired figure.

She had not been able to hear Paine's approach nor when she had walked down the stairs. Rikku merely tried to smile a fake smile before speaking:

"Think I ate something bad..."

"Yevon, Rikku. Always something with your stomach. How many times have Yuna and I warned you not to eat to fast!" Paine sighed, lifting her right hand to gently massage her aching temple.

"It's not that this time, I swear!" Rikku exclaimed "I think it was that strange gravy..."

"The purple-like one?"

"Yeah, the purple-like one." Rikku moaned with the sickening feeling still lingering on inside of her. And she felt like puking when she heard her friend sigh once more.

"Seriously, Rikku. Never thought you'd go so far as eating something you haven't got a clue of what it is, and especially when it's purple."

"I at least have the guts to try around!" Rikku defended and watched as Paine dropped her hand to her side and approached her tiredly.

"Whatever, here. Let's get you to your bed, you need some rest."

Rikku took a hold of Paine's offering hand and was helped up to a standing position. Slowly they both made their way out of the bathroom and step by step up the stairs. There Paine helped her to her bed where she gently laid down in delight and got nicely tucked in by her tired friend. Rikku's eyes followed Paine's figure as Paine made her way over to her bed and got herself under the cozy blanket and they both in quietness and relaxation tried to once again drift off to another world.

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Nothing but silence surrounded him, he rather prefered it that way. But then again, who was there to disturb his silent tribute of relaxation? Everyone laid dead, slaugthered and broken.

He walked around through the secret tunnels of Guadosalam. He had to his amusement found a rather funny switch which he had pushed and opened the secret door into the tunnels.

Of course it hadn't been totally empty while he got in there. The place was surrounded by fiends. Simple and meaningless ones in his eyes as he had wiped them all out with a swift turn of his wrist and sent them into oblivion, leaving the tunnels empty to only his own approach. He aimlessly walked around in amusement while enjoying the silence.

Walking a bit more forward he found a circular purple door ingraved in the wall and assumed that this had to be a new room. With ease he managed to open it up and stepped inside the neat room which seemed to be someone else's bedroom.

He inspected every part of the room from where he stood and he had to greatly eye the beautiful guns decorating the walls. Whoever owned that room did have some taste in weapons when it came to age and power. But also no one worthy to escape his lips. Needing weapons was meaningless and a way of cowards. Killing was a job for bare hands or powerful magic spells.

But the most enjoyable feeling he could get by killing was when he got to use his own bare hands to rip the flesh out of his victim's bodies in delight. Too feel the crimson red blood run down his hand in proof of his succéss in achieving a bleeding corpse. He loved the smell if gave away, but even more he loved the cries of agony he got to hear every single time. Killing bare handed could only explain its meaning to him in one simple clear word; _satisfaction..._

He continued through the room and went to the drawers that he saw in front of him and opened it slowly. His eyes lit up at what he saw, the bundled up and slightly dusty journal lying in the middle of it all caught his eyes. He had never been interested in dumb things such as people writing in their journals.

But now he felt that after being underneath the worlds ground for so long, he could sit himself down and amuse himself to reading whatever private thoughts someone had written down. Taking the book in a firm grasp he went to sit himself on the bed and carefully untied the rough thin rope holding the journal intact and closed. Afterwards he started reading to himself.

_Journal entry 001, Spira; Farplane Abyss._

_I can't believe it. Boss seems to have lost her mind all too much in this love interest of hers._

_Never have I ever felt such hair-raising feelings just by finding myself in a distant place. However, this isn't just any distant place._

_Hard to believe it, but we're in the heart of the Farplane. More exactly in the Abyss of the Farplane. A frightening feeling just thinking of it,_

_much more worse by being here. I sense the spirits of the dead flying around us in envy of our lives that we've managed to keep, while they lost theirs._

_Things are more confusing than I've ever imagined. Yuna and her friends just entered the portal that is ahead of me in search for Nooj and Gippal that seemingly had entered a bit earlier in search for Baralai._

_It seems that a 1000 year old spirit that has lived on in this world in grief has taken control of the young preator Baralai and is planning on using his body to activate Vegnagun and destroy all mankind as we know it._

_To believe that Bevelle actually built this horrific machine ages ago to use in combat. It's monsterous in Yuna's meaning. A weapon of mass-destruction and death. Nothing I would ever want to get near._

_I thank Yevon, even though it's religion was false, that Nooj ordered Leblanc to stay out here and wait like a lil'good girl._

_But believing Leblanc to be any good girl in her life is more difficult than believing Ormi when he says that he doesn't have a thing for that Rikku girl._

_And believe me, that is hard to believe. I'm only glad I got the chance to buy this empty journal to write in whenever I need the time to break free and relax at the same time as writing everything down as to keep it through history somehow, so people would remember our names. But mostly mine._

_Either way, I got to cut this short now. Seems like Boss is up to something again. Can't really be a good sign now can it?_

_Logos_

"Logos, huh?" he muttered to himself smilingly. Strange enough he had actually been amused by this entry and found himself wanting to know a bit more about these Logos and Ormi. He especially wanted to know who this 'Boss' of theirs was. He re-read the text in a slow motion as to let every word sink into him in meaning. He remembered the Farplane a bit from when he passed through it to get to this world.

He remembered the beautifully and frightening colors of its depth with millions for crying souls floating around. Their cries had been music to his ears, and it was only that reason that he still had the lingering memory of the Farplane etched to his mind. He sighed, if only he had been able to hear those cries in the chaos he had lived in, then maybe he wouldn't have had to escape like he did.

He wouldn't have needed to go through so much trouble just to get back into the living land of Spira and kill for himself to hear those wonderful cries. If only he had heard it all from his prison in hell, then he wouldn't have been where he was right now.

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_'He knows, and he loves you as well.' _the Fayth's spoken words echoed through Yuna's mind as she with her eyes full of tears eyed the transparent young hooded boy.

She couldn't believe it, she had thought the Fayth's had been put to rest in eternity. That after giving her Tidus back they could finally rest in peace as they've always wanted.

But no, there, in front of her, fully clear, stood the Fayth of which she knew for a fact was the Fayth of Bahamut.

"How?" was all she got out of herself as she still looked on tearfully, but clearly in confusion and schock.

"How what, Lady Yuna?" the Fayth asked boyishly. Taking a small step forward to the crouched ex-summoner.

"How come you're still here, weren't you to be put to rest?" she managed to get out more harshly. Her rising anger was evident; she was hurt and angry. But most of all, she was just confused and disappointed. She had granted the Fayth's wish together with Tidus and the others by defeating Sin to finally end their thousand year old dreaming.

To put them to rest and she lost Tidus in the process as their dream vanished. She had offered up all she ever cared about to save Spira and ease the Fayth's suffering as a repayment for always having them by her side on her journey as powerful and most loyal Aeons. She had sacrificed her only true love for the Fayth's when she together with her friends destroyed Sin and Yu Yevon.

2 years of pain and sorrow had followed her after that as she desperetly searched for Tidus endlessly. Only after the defeat of Vegnagun did the Fayth once more show up and asked her if she wanted him back. She had gotten him back, but the reunion she had hoped for and their lives after that did not turn out the way anyone wanted. She now held her love's head in her lap, his limp body not making a single move to indicate his life force.

And yet there stood the Fayth, clearly not resting as it had wanted. Had she suffered all these years to ease their pain and grant them their wish which they still hadn't shown any proof of using?

Had she felt heartache for two long years for something that did not happen? Had the Fayth's rested anything at all?

The questions were to many and Yuna could only feel her anger rising as her temple started to ache at the incoming headache of everything going wrong.

"Indeed we were. But resting has been hard while watching your suffering, Lady Yuna. With the threat of Vegnagun upon Spira less than a week ago and your wish of having him back, resting has indeed been a hard thing to do." The Fayth sadly said in answer, and Yuna's anger subsided slightly as the Fayth continued. "Giving you Tidus back was a tough work on all of us, and sadly as it is. We still aren't allowed to rest."

"Why?" Yuna questioned. Why couldn't they rest if Tidus was now back? It was all so confusing at that moment and she recalled that she had yet to sleep her tiredness off to clearly understand everything that went on.

"Because we are still dreaming, M'lady. We're dreaming of recreating him into a fully living human being. We had been counting on to finally rest once Tidus was his own person. But we've been dreaming for a week now."

"How long will it take to dream until you're finished then?"

"Lady Yuna, we were to be supposed to be done about 1 day ago, when Tidus first arrived back in Besaid together with you."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, our dream has not gone the way we've wanted it to. Instead of growing stronger, Tidus has grown far more weaker. So weak is our dream right now that it is on the brink of eternal fading." Bahamut's Fayth carefully explained.

"What do you mean eternal fading?" Yuna frightfully asked. She did and didn't want to know the answer at the same time.

"Eternal fading, exactly what happened last time during the time of Sin's destruction on the airship. Only this time, it will be forever. We can not dream the same dreams twice. Us dreaming of Tidus being a human being right now, can never be dreamt again in the same way. If this dream fades, there will be no coming back."

"What!" Yuna exclaimed tearfully "You can't really mean that! Then don't stop dreaming, what's going on with your dreaming?"

"While joining in our sleeping dreams and connecting each of all your memories to put him back together we were able to dream a peaceful and deep sleep where Tidus could not have been healthier.

But it seems that our dreams were shaken by some outside force or action outside of our dreams, and it shook some of us around, bothering our deep sleep and so on shaking our dreams. Many of us are on the brink of wakening. And with everyone dreaming weaker, the weaker Tidus will grow, until all of us are awake, and then he will truly fade into nothingness once more."

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_**That's Chapter 9 everyone. I hope you enjoyed! So what's up with the Fayth's shaken dreams? Think is has to do with that mysterious guy in Guadosalam? Perhaps, perhaps not. What does that mysterious guy really want to do in Spira? Waits to see I guess.. Chapter 10 will arrive by next Saturday (European time)**_

_**Alexiel91 **_


	10. Chapter 10: Everything Will Be Alright

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1..._**

Hey Y'all!  
Okay, not that much time.. Haven't had the time to prof-readed it yet, I'm very sorry for the most likely typos in this chapter. It's just that my brother arrived today to stay with us for the Sports-holiday.. So yeah, I prefer to spend most my time around my family at the moment. The reviews haven't seem to have changed, which is sad when I see all the hits I get. Well well, do tell me of what you think and what I'm doing wrong.. Sorry to cut this short again, enjoy Chapter 10 of Once More.

**_Read and review!  
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**  
Chapter 10 - Everything Will Be Alright**

"No, that can't happen! Not again! Please..." Yuna sobbingly said in a weak voice. Still holding on to Tidus she turned to look at his delicate face. She couldn't lose him again, not like this. Never could she lose him again. "Please, tell me what's going on. What can I do to stop this?" she asked after a while, turning to face the Fayth once more.

"I do not know much, m'lday. I recently awoke myself, unfortunantly sending Tidus into this very state he is right now. I haven't gotten to know much of what's been going on. I only sense that a source of force has been released into this world. A force that isn't supposed to be here, a force of power and outmost evil. M'lady, I'm afraid that none of you can do a thing against this, as I sense it to be a massive force of destruction." the Fayth fearfully said to Yuna, who herself looked even more terrified. What could be more powerful than Vegnagun that she couldn't oppose? What could be more evil than Sin that she couldn't defeat? So many thougts of what, who, where and why ran through her mind, and she found herself asking further.

"Do you know who or what it is?"

"I'm afraid not, but I sense it to be a someone. The feelings of hatred and dispair lingers on in the air, it lingers on so strong, that it can only belong to this powerful force."

Yuna nodded in understanding, realising that this time she wasn't up against a beast or death and evil, nor a machina of mass destruction. This time, she was up against another being, one with feelings and thoughts. She didn't really know which one of these three were the hardest one to fight. A beast who had known nothing else than to kill and destroy, a machina who feared people wanting to harming it and could wipe out human existance as they knew it. Or someone that shared the same things she shared; feeling & thoughts? She hoped that she would never need to find out.

"What about Tidus then? What are we going to do about him? Sit here and await your awakening that would lead him to his ultimate oblivion? You cannot expect me to do that, and you know it."

"That I very well do, Lady Yuna. I did not expect you to do that either. Your love for Tidus is very obvious from the very beginning. That is reason enough, but I don't see you as a bystander in these situations. I know for a fact, that even though Tidus life wasn't depending on this, you would somehow made your way back into the field and rescue Spira once more." the Fayth said truthfully.

His words hitting Yuna square on as she herself thought it over. And it all came down to what the Fayth had stated, she really would fight no matter what.

"My life's story," she muttered somewhat sarcastic. Even though she admitted to herself that she would fight for Spira over and over, didn't have to mean that she liked it. She didn't like it at all, she disliked Spira for being such a place of chaos and death every now and then. She disliked always being the good-hearted person she was that she just felt that she needed to fight for a world that never lived in peace for more than a few years. She disliked her story being this; a young woman who hasn't even reached the age of 20 and had saved the world twice already in a short period of 2 years. And what she disliked most was that she had once lost her love at the age of 17, and now at the age of 19 right after she had gotten him back, she risked losing him again.

"unfortunate as it is..." she added on right afterwards, making the Fayth grow a face of sadness and discomfort.

"I see," he answered. "it can't be easy."

"Who said it would ever be easy?" Yuna questioned back feeling furious. But when she saw the confused look on the Fayth's face and understood that this wasn't what he was here for, she against her will forgot a bit about her anger and went to ask another question. "What can I do to stop this?"

The Fayth sighed when hearing her question, but went on to answer. "As stated earlier, I'm afraid none of you can really do anything."

"Why's that?"

"Human such as you have no power what so ever to stop this force if my senses are right. And if you do not defeat this source of power, it will continue to grow, and it will kill. It has already shaken the systems in the Farplane with his release. If it does not return soon or gets defeated, we will eventually wake against our own will. And then you know what will happen."

At this Yuna remained quiet, she awaited the Fayth to speak further.

"I will do my best in returning with more information to you, Lady Yuna. Please, I ask of you to give me an hour or two as I search for answers."

Knowing that she can't do much more as the situation stands, she nodded in agreement. Whispering a silent: "Please hurry."

"I will, Lady Yuna." the Fayth whispered back with a small smile trying to encourage the ex-summoner to no avail as he faded away, his spirit heading back to the Farplane in search for answers.

Still in his mind, the last image he had witnessed before fading was the image of Yuna's beauty in glistening tears gently carressing Tidus face while whispering; _"Everything will be alright..."_

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"What are you doing here?" Nooj suspicously asked Gippal during their encounter down the road of the Moonflow.

"Good to see you too, Nooj." Gippal answered and turned to Baralai's smiling face. "What's up with you and all the smiling?"

"Nothing," Baralai smiled off "just good to see you again."

"Now that's how you greet someone alright" Gippal exclaimed while looking at Nooj "Better write that down, Nooj. It might help you in the future by showing some politeness."

"Whatever." Nooj muttered in response and continued halting down the road leading down to the magnificent view that the Moonflow gave away when darkness fell. "Mind answering my question as to what you're doing here?"

Following beside Baralai's side Gippal managed to get a sigh out before gently laying his hands together at the back of his head in a lazy way. "Geez Nooj, give a man some space. I'm taking a walk, okay?"

"I see." Nooj acknowledged and continued on his way to the central of the Moonflow. Baralai and Gippal right after him.

"Yeah, that's my story. What about yours?"

"We're on our way to inspect Guadosalam." Baralai answered Gippal's question when they both noticed that Nooj was taking no care to answer himself.

"You're meaning that those soldiers that Nooj sent out never returned?"

"I'm afraid so." Baralai sadly admitted to the bewildered Gippal by his side. "That's why Nooj and I decided to go over there together and inspect things for ourselves and see what happened to the soldiers."

"Well then it's settled." Gippal let out which in order made Nooj abruptly stop in front of them. Gippal not noticing continued walking until he ultimately crashed into Nooj's firm and steady back. "Hey, watch where you're stopping!"

"What do you mean by saying that it's settled?" Nooj hesitantly asked from where he stood, not bothering Gippal's last words. He only awaited the words that would now come out of Gippal's mouth as an answer. Although he feared that he already knew the answer.

"It's settled that I'm coming with you guys. I mean, it's pretty obvious that I wouldn't stand by here while knowing where you're headed off too. Besides, I need to stack up on some of thos Guado stuff they sell over there." Gippal stated in his usual voice while scratching the back of his head while talking.

"This isn't some shopping trip, Gippal." Baralai said in a soft voice, expressing his own depressing feelings about the reason of the situation.

"I know, I know. I just thought that I might as well get whatever I need from there while tagging along with you guys."

"Who said that you could tag along in the first place?" Nooj silently asked and went off, not even waiting for Gippal's answer.

"What's up with him today?" the confused blonde Al Bhed asked his white haired companion in wonder as they both followed the way that Nooj had taken.

"He's just concerned, that's all." Baralai answered sighfully. He hoped that this worry would turn out to be nothing more than what it already was.

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The soft cries echoed through the small hut belonging to Wakka and Lulu as their Vidina tearfully cried after his parents through the dark night. He missed the warmth of his mother's embrace when he had woken up in his crib in loneliness. Not even the softness of his favourite blanket that was wrapped around him could even out his longing and sadness. He wanted his parents smiling faces above him and he wanted them to hold him lovingly as they always did. The emptiness in his crib was to silent and far too cold without them. So he cried, and he would continue crying until they came, which they always did. And probably would always do.

His cries soon reached Wakka's ears as he tiredly grunted in his sleep and went to open one of his eyelids. He listened instensely, and was then granted with another fit of cries coming from Lulu and his son. He tiredly yawned and turned around in the bed he shared with his wife and meet her delicate sleeping face. He hated to wake her like this, but as tired as he was he would have to open his mouth and call out her name.

"Lu," he said once, but he only saw her give away a slight stir and nothing more. "Lulu" he tried a little more presistant as Vidina's cries continued.

"W-what?" Lulu asked with her eyes still closed.

"Vidina's crying again."

"Why don't you go to him then?" Lulu questioned, turning on to her other side, leaving Wakka to tiredly watch her black covered back as she was clother in a silky smooth black nightgown.

"I'm tired, Lu. And I have to coach the Aurochs in a few hours." Wakka groaned, he regretted staying up as late as he had done, totally forgetting the mornings practise he had promised that he would coach. "Please, I promise to make it up for you later."

"Forget about it. What mother or wife would I be if I didn't watch out for our son without having you to pay me off later?" she tiredly smiled and turned around to meet Wakka's halfsleeping face.

"The most beautiful and most caring mother and wife Spira has ever encountered?" Wakka answered truthfully. In the state he was in, Lulu could almost ask him anything and expect to be given an straightout true answer.

"Very cute," Lulu smiled. She pushed herself forward to give him a small peck on his right cheek before going to stand up and head for Vidina. "now sleep. With coaching this morning after being retired for 2 years. You will seriously need it."

"I'm not that off-shaped you know." Wakka exclaimed from their bed as she left the room and he smiled at her answer before falling into a deep sleep once more.

"Whatever you say, dear." she had answered.

When reaching the crib where Vidina lay, Lulu went to pick him up into her arms. She smiled down at her son with gentleness as she slowly started to walk about rocking him softly back and forth while humming the soft tones of Vidina's most relaxing melody. Humming through her memories of The Hymn Of The Fayth somewhat relaxed her as well, but it also remembered her of the journey.

And at that moment it reminded her of Yuna. She had last heard from Yuna out by the bonfire. Which was clearly hours ago she concluded when she softly rocked Vidina to one of the windows and looked out at the sky. Dawn was slowly approaching upon them, and Lulu wondered when Yuna had actually gone to bed. She wondered what she had done about Tidus as well. Had Yuna sent him off to the former Crusaders Tent to sleep together with the Aurochs, or had she allowed him into her home and into her bed together with her?

"Ugh, I can't be thinking of this now." Lulu scolded herself "Yuna's all grown up, she can make her own decisions."

Giggles escaping Vidina's mouth in what sounded like sweet music brought Lulu's attention back to him. She looked down and saw Vidina's baby eyes glowing with joy at the mention of his Aunt Yuna.

"But that doesn't mean I have to like it, right?" she asked him playfully before leaning down and peck his nose lovingly. "You agree right?"

Vidina giggled lively at his mother's comment. He didn't really understand much of it, but he enjoyed every signle word that escaped her mouth. Having to hear Yuna's name escape her mouth also made him all the more eager to meet his aunt. He tried desperetely to utter out Yuna's name to his mother to make her understand what he wanted, but he managed to choke out was his everyday baby language that only he could understand to his and everyone elses dismay. His mother although had to be the most clever person out there as she always seemed to understand him in every way possible.

"You want to meet Yuna?" she cooed lightly as she still walked about the hut back and forth. Vidina's answer came out as a giggle when he yet again heard Yuna's name. "I thought so. I've always noticed how close you felt to her. You like aunt Yuna right?" she smiled at the continuing giggles escaped Vidina's mouth. "What about aunt Rikku and aunt Paine then?"

Lulu could only sense and feel that Vidina's heart was big enough for everyone as he even giggled at the names of Rikku and Paine.

"Let's let the sun rise first, shall we? That way we'll let Yuna sleep a bit more. She'll probably come over for breakfast later. Let's await her shall we?" she asked Vidina who smiled in return.

"Get some rest while I start preparing breakfast. So when you wake up everything will be ready to eat, and we'll see if Yuna decides to join us." she layed Vidina back into his crib and heard the soft cry Vidina let out as her warm arms left him lonesome. "Shh, careful not to wake your father. He's going to coach The Besaid Aurochs soon. He will need his rest if he's to coach you someday." Lulu quietly told him and when she recieved another smile from Vidina she knew it was safe to leave him alone in his crib so sleep would consume him gently.

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_**That's all for this time folks, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and do review about your thoughts and all  
Until next time!**_

Alexiel91  



	11. Chapter 11: Eternally

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1_**

**_Okay, chapter 11 comes a bit earlier. I just had to get my head into other thoughts as things around is just really hectic and hard.. I'm just so damn angry and sad that I just had to sit myself down with something else that made me feel a bit good. Writing seemed to be that thing. Typos would not be a suprise as to my mood, but then again. I have many typos that I sometimes don't have the time to fix. A bit more will be revealed in this chapter hopefully, and still only 2 loyal reviewers.. Hmpf.. Dunno what I do wrong, seriously. I review every story I read and find nothing hard in it, don't know why others are so lazy to not even write a comment.. Then again, humans are humans... Enjoy the chapter and review if there should be any future for this story, 'cause in my current mood with everything in my life just being pain, I see nothing wrong with dumping this story together with everything else. Excuse me for sounding like this, but I'm just not in the mood for being all happy and perfect when I feel far from it. Here you all have Chapter 11 of Once More. Enjoy!_**

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Chapter 11 - Eternally**

"Rao, fyga ib!" Rikku heard painfully through her sleep. She felt whoever it was shaking her awake and out of her peaceful sleep. Slipping out of the security sleep provided her aching stomach she groaned as she opened up her eyes to see her brother's horrible face above hers. "Rikku, drec ec hu desa du cmaab, fa'ja kud yh asankyhlo!" Brother ranted on and Rikku only groaned louder.

"Brother, first of all. Stop with the Al Bhed, aren't you the one complaining that your english isn't improving? Well there you have the answer as to why!" Rikku yelled, her brother could be so dense sometimes. And waking her up to the morning sun shining through the Celsius windows with an aching stomach didn't make her see him any better nor smarter.

"And second, what is this emergancy you're talking about? 'Cause seriously, if you pull that stunt again about the toilet refusing to flush your shit away as an emergancy I might think of making myself siblingless. And not in the disowning kind of way..." Rikku muttered tiredly. She remember the incident during their Sphere-hunting days together with Yuna in the beginning when Brother had awakened them all with panic when the toilet seemingly refused to flush away what Brother had dumped in there. In someways, it was somekind of an emergancy, since Brother was well, Brother. And that was never a good thing, not even in the toilet-department.

"Hu, Rikku! Caneuicmo fa ryja yh, -"

"Cut the Al Bhed will you! I'm not having a good day nor good patience to offer you if you haven't noticed already!" Rikku interrupted achingly as she held onto her stomach and clutched the blanket tighter around her trying to provide some kind of warmth to her stomach as it sometimes helped.

"Rikku, please. We're serious" Paine's pleading voice reached Rikku's ear. Rikku forced herself to sit up even though her stomach made attempts of refusing. Whenever Paine sounded pleadingly, which never happened, it had to be something serious. And even so, whenever Paine would say something, Rikku would always believe her not matter what.

"What's wrong?" Rikku asked curiously where she sat on her bed holding her blanket still tight around herself.

"It seems that Yuna's missing. So is Tidus." Paine answered with worry.

"What? What happened?" Rikku exclaimed with even more worry.

"I don't know, but we recieved words just moments ago from Lulu. It seems that she went over this morning to invite Yuna and Tidus over for breakfast. But when she knocked she didn't recieve any answer, so she entered Yuna's hut and searched. She found Yuna's hut empty and her bed not slept in. And no one else in the village has seen either one of them either."

Rikku listened to Paine's words closely, her cousin hadn't gone to bed that night, nor had Tidus. Both of them were gone. Rikku thought of the possibilities of the two of them just being around Besaid somewhere for themselves, spending some alone time after being apart. It wouldn't really suprise her if they had gone somewhere to enjoy each others presence again, but in the back of her mind her better part told her that Yuna wouldn't do such things as run away, if even in just Besaid without telling someone. She would never leave without anyone knowing to later tell the others not to worry.

"We gotta find them, something might've happened. After all, Tidus wasn't really feeling that well yesterday,Yuna might've followed him into the woods after he left." Rikku hurriedly thought up as she remembered yesteday's event. Going against her stomach's protestes she hurriedly got up from her bed and went to go for the stairs when Brother's shrieking voice stopped her.

"Yuna gone with blondie. It is all his fault!" he accused and was met by Paine and Rikku's sighing forms as they ignored him and quickly ran down the stair and into the elevator to prepare their search.

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Jai cringed when she passed him by as he felt his failure once again run up his spine as fear floded throughout his whole body. His green eyes followed her movement across the room. He saw her gently sit herself down on his chair inside of his room within one of the apprentice buildings in which he lived in. The beautiful black length of her hair followed her gracefully in whatever movement she made and Jai felt a sudden urge to stretch out and softly lay his hand upon the angel-like hair she had, but his mind told him better than to do so. Touching her would forever burn his skin and soul.

Touching her would lead to eternal suffering. In other words, if he touched her he would die for sure.

"What's the matter, Jai?" her voice asked tauntingly "Want to touch my hair, I sense?"

"No, Alyzzia. You're very much mistaken about sensing that." Jai nervously answered back trying to convince her into his lies to no avail.

"Don't lie to me, Jai. You do know that what I sense is always right. Not even the thoughts of Azreal down below could go by me, do you seriously think the thoughts of a human such as you would pass me by?" Alyzzia's dark voice dangerously echoed throughout Jai's small room.

"No, please no, Alyzzia." Jai stuttered as drops of sweat started to form around his nervous face. "I didn't mean to offend you by any means."

"Keep it that way if you know what's good for yourself." she answered back threateningly before putting on a softer voice. "And if you know what's best for yourself you might want to answer my question correctly this time. Remember that whatever lie you might try to pull will be obvious to me, the weak-minded never escapes my radar. Azreal's weakness was a shocker for everyone, not to mention myself when I saw through him. But what a joy it was as well when he lost all of his respect." she smiled wickedly as her memories came back.

"Now tell me, Jai. Is it or is it not so that you wanted to touch my hair just minutes ago?"

"I, uh..I-I" he hesitantly started, the sweat running down the sides of his face as he saw her rise herself up and walk painfully slow towards him.

"Come on now, Jai." she whispered once she came up close, her face closer to his than it ever had been before. "Answer the question."

Jai looked on fearfully as she raised her hand slowly. He watched as she gently slid it across her right side and up to her stomach where she left it, putting a soft pressure onto her perfect form.

"I, yes... I did want to touch your hair, Alyzzia." he finally answered with relief and fear at the same time. He saw her lips curve up in a smile as she yet again went to move her hand from her stomach.

She reached out to touch his face as she gently continued. "Did? Don't you still want to touch it?" her hand reached closer to him and when it was right about to touch him he fearfully took a step back from her. "Afraid of me are you?" she taunted with a grin. "Fear not, Jai. You will not burn nor die. Not unless I want you too." the words of comfort slipped out of her mouth as she tired once more to touch his features. Alyzzia still saw the fear in his eyes as she closed in on him, but was impressed by his trust in her words as he this time did not back away and she managed to put a soft hand upon his left cheek. The warmth from her went through his systems in a feeling of divine.

It wasn't warm enough to burn him, but niether was it normally warm. It was somehow magically warm to keep him cold and warm at the same time. Jai felt himself with his eyes closed lean into her hand with pressure, yearning to hang onto this feeling forever. His eyes only opened when he heard her speak again in a suductive voice.

"I'll let you on a little secret for being such a brave young man. I can only burn the weak-minded, as I can only read the minds of the weak-minded. I read your mind, I can burn you whenever I want. You're weak, Jai." her voice turned slightly harsh as she continued. "You're weak, and your failure of yet again not getting access to that parchment shows it clearly. Grow stronger, or I will not need your services and nor will I need you alive as well."

"I'm sorry, I tried, I seriously tried! You saw me didn't you? You can see most things, so you saw. Please tell me that you saw?" Jai pleaded.

"And if you saw, then you also saw my desperate tries, it's not my fault, Alyzzia. It's the praetors fault, it's Baralai's fault! It's because of his refusement that I haven't already gotten you the parchment, and he will continue to refuse. He doesn't trust me, nor will he ever do. Nor should he, if he only knew of why I want the parchment, if only he knew of your plans. Then he would know that his refusement had been the right thing to do." Jai hurriedly explained in dispair as the words only came up within him and out his mouth. "It's because he's the praetor, he controls everything around here!"

"We might be able to change that." Alyzzia said. Jai looked at her and was faced by a devlish smile across her face. He could only wonder what she had in mind this time.

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"Yuna!" Paine's voice called out in worry as she ran toward the young female's body up ahead down the road around Besaid Village.

"Yunie!" Rikku let out herself as she saw her older cousin in a sitting position with her back against a tree with Tidus head resting on her lap. None of them were in a awake state.

Falling on her knees, Rikku went to softly shake Yuna's uptight body. Rikku felt all of Yuna's muscles being tighten up and sighed worriedly at her cousin. "Yunie.." she gently whispered while shaking.

Yuna's eyes slowly opened but closed right after as the powerful morning sun hit her full on in a very unpleasent surprise. "Ugh..." she moaned as she went to open up her eyes again.

Rikku let out a soft sigh of relief which Yuna quickly reacted to. "Rikku, Paine!" she hastily said as she faced them both. Her aching back reminded her quickly of why she had recieved the aching as she felt the soft pressure of Tidus head on her lap. Memories of that nights experience flooded back to her and she quickly panicked.

"I'm so happy you guys are here, quickly, I need help carrying Tidus back to the village" she found herself saying, or rather repeating as she remembered this being an almost exact copy of the yesterdays event. However the thought came to her mind, she didn't find it the least amusing as she had to go through the same worried feelings as before.

"What happened?" she heard Paine asking. She wondered that herself, but now was not the time to discuss it over. Yuna only shook her head and responded the only thing she could respond.

"We'll talk about it once we've gotten Tidus back to the village where he can rest."

"Let's hurry then." her younger cousin hastily added and Yuna turned to her with a small smile of appreciation on her face. Rikku and Paine each took a firm grip of Tidus and lifted him off Yuna so Yuna could get up herself and move on to help her friends.

In what could've been a 7 minutes normal walk turned to 18 minutes before they entered the village tiredly with Tidus unconscious body with them. Different from last time was that more people witnessed the image this time as everyone had gone out that morning early in search for the young ex-summoner and her Blitzer.

Worried glances and shocked faces came from every angle of the village as they saw Yuna's tired attempt in carrying Tidus over to her hut together with Rikku and Paine. They all tried blocking out the worried questions the villagers asked as they only concentrated on entering the hut and get the heavy pressure of their backs.

When Tidus finally laid on Yuna's bed unconscious for the second time in a matter of two days the trio themselves breathed out tired reliefs as they stretched out their tired and tight muscles.

Rikku and Paine each took a chair in Yuna's room to sit on as Yuna went to sit on the edge of her bed close to Tidus breathing chest. She carressed his cheek lovingly with a tender touch as she felt herself sigh at that night's events. Everything had gone so good, they had all laughed together in joy at each other's jokes and stories.

She remembered the warmth the fire they sat around had given away and she most of all she remembered the warmth Tidus body had given her as they sat close to each other during it all. But then came the cold and dark moments when the worry came.

Her worried search for him, her sobbingly state when she had talked to the Fayth that told her of horrible things, such as the risk of Tidus disappearing again. She sat like that for over 20 minutes, just stroking his face tenderly as Rikku and Paine sadly looked on.

They pitied her, she thought. For going through all of this, for not being able to live in peace. For not being able to live the dream life of happiness and joy that she had wanted together with Tidus. They probably pitied her for a lot of things, but she didn't care. They cared enough to pity her, that's what mattered to her. That they cared was more than enough. The pity part of it all was nothing of a greater concern for her at that moment.

The soft knocking of a door down below caught their attention but only Rikku made a move as she stood up with a quick "I'll get it" and went down the stairs in haste. Yuna continued to only stare at Tidus in complete silence before turning her head back to the doorway of her room. She saw as Rikku re-entered her room with Wakka and Lulu close behind. Both of them carried worried faces as they met Yuna's empty gaze.

"Oh, Yuna! Thank god you're safe. When niether I or the villagers were able to find you I couldn't help but think the worst." Lulu said as she hastily made her way over to Yuna. She opened her arms warmly and let Yuna enter her embrace which she almost did immediately. Lulu's arms soon encircled Yuna's upper frame warmly as she only listened together with everyone else in the room to Yuna's quiet but sad words.

"What could be more worst than this, Lulu?" she quietly asked, hoping for an answer that no one gave. "Nothing. Nothing can get any worser, not after all that's happening. Not after what the Fayth told me..." she muttered in what sounded almost like fragile words of emptiness. She reflected her inner feelings into her way of speaking, her words were empty because she hadn't felt more lonely than she did right now. She couldn't feel more hollow than she already did.

"The Fayth?" Paine asked curiously. She didn't know much of the temple ways during the time of Sin. But from her journey together with Yuna and Rikku she had managed to pick up a few facts here and there about the Fayth's being the ones that Yuna prayed to during her summoner-days. From what she had learned, the Fayth's were trapped souls. Souls that Yuna had said to be put to sleep after and eternal time of dreaming.

"What do you mean, Yunie?" Rikku questioned in utter shock of Yuna's revelation of the Fayth's. "Did you see one?"

Yuna released her grip around Lulu and slipped out of her embrace to gently nod her head at them all in answer. "Yeah."

"What did they tell you?" Wakka urged her. She lifted her eyes to meet all their gazes while thinking her words through while remembering the conversation she had earlier had with the Fayth of Bahamut.

_'If this dream fades, there will be no coming back.'_

Her eyes never closed as she spoke those few words. Never did her eyes leave their shocked ones as he revealed what scared her the most.

"That Tidus might fade again. And this time he would fade eternally."

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_Al bhed translation:_

_(Brother) Rao, fyga ib! - Hey, wake up!  
(Brother) Rikku, drec ec hu desa du cmaab, fa'ja kud yh asankyhlo! - Rikku, this is no time to sleep, we've got an emergancy!  
(Brother) Hu, Rikku! Caneuicmo fa ryja yh, - No, Rikku! Seriously we have an, -_

_ **Well, people. That's chapter 11! Yet I'm in a bad mood, maybe review will help and keep me a bit sane and from dumping the story.. Sorry guys, I sound really stupid now.. But things are just really bad right now here at home..  
So either way, who is that Alyzzia, and what's really up with her? Jai as well. What do they plan on doing in Bevelle?  
What is this strange parchment Alyzzia seeks to have? Brother is just being dumb old brother in this chapter, toilet-business is not a good connection with him I tell you.. What will come out of Tidus destiny? Will Yuna be able to save him?  
Awaits to see if this story stays alive until then. I hope you all enjoyed, sorry for my awful mood and my typos and misspelling.. Remember, English is not my main language!  
Till next time, hopefully..**_

_** Alexiel91  
**  
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	12. Chapter 12: Awakening

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1, people. Chapter 1._**

Okay, either we can all this an early update, or just a bonus update. I don't know.  
I just felt like putting this chapter up, to get the story going a slight faster, to get the next chapters coming earlier. I don't know really. I apologize for my earlier behaviour. I was in a really bad mood, and somehow I still am. I turned 15 yesterday, it was rather boring. And today just seemed that it couldn't get anymore worse. But yeah, I'm not gonna freak this time like last time. ThePirateJilt somehow cooled me down with all that honesty. Thank you, and I will try to improve! I have noticed my faults somehow in this. Hopefully I will get this story to really start soon, as I do have a plot thoughtout. Just really hard with details and all having to be explained. Please, do enjoy Chapter 12 - Awakening of Once More and do review. Knowing that people are reading and appreciates what's being written is one of the most important things to keep a writer going.

Enjoy!  
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Chapter 12 - Awakening

As they neared Guadosalam Gippal and Baralai were engaged in a heated conversation about the trio that was so well known througout Spira. Nooj walked a bit ahead of them, only hearing the words that were spoken with a solemn smile carried across his face.

"You can't be serious" Baralai uttered in mockness and surprise.

"Better believe it. They brought it down without so much as a sweat drop being formed on them." Gippal admitted rather embaressed.

"Oh, well. I must tell you that I somewhat understand it. I myself met them in a fierce battle, with me being on the losing side right from the beginning. They're not to play with."

"No kidding, a whack from them across my face would probably leave me unable to speak for at least a couple of days." Gippal sighed while dropping his head. "Women, I tell you."

Baralai turned his head to his friends direction and sighed as well. "I agree."

"But even so, you can't stop loving them, can you?" a voice from ahead asked them simply.

"Joy of you to join in on our conversation, Nooj." Gippal answered with a shake of his head. A smile evident on his lips as Nooj's words seeped in. _'I guess he's right.'_

"I may be the serious one here, but I do know how to enjoy myself as well." Nooj answered with a mixed up smile of cleverness and seriousness. "So, any of you going to answer?"

Baralai let out a small laugh. "Alright, Nooj. You're right I guess, at least for my part. Whatever women may do, I will never stop loving them nor their perspective on this world and time we live in."he said truthfully while now walking between the two others.

"You might say that time does change as do people. I think this will be an era where the women's will take a hold of their rights and live openly. Meaning that if they have to, they will prove their beliefs in what's right for Spira and entering a battle against a praetor such as myself, and of course smash up some Machina over at the Djose Temple." he said while letting his gaze fall upon Gippal at his left side. The smile on his face never faltering.

"No doubt about it now, Nooj. Paine has certainly got Baralai here wrapped around her finger." Gippal declared in utter shock at Baralai's little speech not even a few seconds ago. "I mean, did you just hear what the guy said?"

"Being that I'm walking no less than a few feets away from you guys, yes I heard." Nooj stated matter of factly before continuing. "And however cheesy it might've sounded like, I have to agree with him. And I think that you do as well, even though you're not admitting it."

Gippal laughed Nooj's words off. "Eh, very funny, Nooj. Really funny, but no. I don't admit it 'cause I for one do not see it like that."

"How do you see it then?" Baralai went to ask simply, fully expecting Gippal to answer his perspective on the world's way of life.

"I, uh. I, argh! What does it matter how I see it? It's good to go with me just saying that I don't agree on how you guys see it." Gippal stammered in nervous anger at them, but only recieved smirks.

"What?" he questionened harshly.

"Nothing." both of them answered shortly. Leaving Gippal confused and lost.

"We'll talk about it later, we're here." Nooj said. They all now stood in front of the opening of Guadosalam, preparing to enter it. But the horror stank that lingered throughout the very opening caught their attention fiercly. "What is this smell?" Nooj found himself asking as he quickly put his hand over his nose together with the others.

"I was about to ask the same." Baralai choked in a sick voice. "Guess we'll have to enter and see for ourselves." and with that said, the three of them entered the city of Guados.

The silence was more than what they were expecting, as was the coldness together mixed with the uneasy darkness. It was somewhat soothing, but more than that frightening.

But what they felt and saw now did not in a million years prepare them for the awful seen they were to witness as they entered the heart of Guadosalam. It was awful, sickening and stomach-wreaching. In other words, it was cruelty in its highest point. The bloody and somewhat rotting bodies of women, men and children lying at every possible place around the city was not a sight for the eye to see. The splattered and almost dry blood across the walls indicated the fact of pure evil.

Baralai couldn't take it at all. "This is horrible, this can't be. It has to be wrong, it can't be real bodies lying here." he panicked. He had seen death before, but not like this. This wasn't just death in an ordinary way. This was a slaughter without mercy. "All these people..."

"Calm down, Baralai." Gippal tried in a soothing voice, going against all of this himself in disgust.

"Calm down! Having to see all of this in front of us, all this death, the blood, the stank of their rotting corpses. With all this lying in front us us, and you're asking me to calm down?" Baralai asked ridicously while raising his voice as his panic rose.

"Keep it quiet!" Nooj whispered harshly back to them. Fearing that whatever or whoever had done this might still be lurking around. He took hesitant steps as even more fear crept through him as he caught a glance of something he wished to be an illusion. But what he wished to be an illusion turned out to be reality, and it frightened him as much as it hurt him.

There, in front of him laid the broken corpses of the soldiers he had sent out. In front of him laid the dead bodies of Laq and Aiko, and it disgusted him. They died by his hands as he sent them out on this mission, and their death was nothing short of cruelty to the core of its meaning. Never did they get the chance of ever dreaming of a full-fledged life and later die peacefully in a warm bed.

Instead they got this, and it couldn't hurt Nooj more than knowing that it was his fault. He swore to himself in front of their crippled bodies that he would avenge them no matter what. He would find the one responsible for this.

"Let's get out of here, now!" Nooj ordered both Baralai and Gippal who had stood by him in silence. They were all to sick to their stomach's to even think of speaking. However, Nooj managed to keep his senses cool, even though the scene sickened him as well. So many innocent children, women and men, all of them slaugthered. "We need to get out of here in case whatever responsible for this decides to add us to this fate as well."

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"They're dreaming again, of Tidus. A dream of him becoming a real human, and not a dream anymore. But somehow their dreams were shaken, and many of them are on the brink of not dreaming at all. Many of them are on the brink of awakening. The more they start to awake, the weaker their dream will become. Resulting in Tidus being weakened." Yuna explained to them all.

"Their dreams were shaken you say?" Wakka questioned her quietly.

Yuna nodded shortly. "Yes, it seems that when this powerful force I explained earlier of shook them up in whatever quest it was in for."

"What happens when they all wake up then?" Rikku chirped in askingly.

Yuna looked over at Tidus beside her who still laid unconsciously on her bed and sighed before turning to meet them again.

"As I said earlier, if they awaken their dreaming will end. The dream will fade, and Tidus together with it for eternity."

"For eternity? How come, why can't they just dream him up again as they're doing now?" Paine asked from where she sat.

"He said that they can only dream one dream once. Their dreaming before was about Tidus being in Spira to help us defeat Sin, this time they're dreaming of recreating him to fully be alive and not a dream anymore. This is the only chance of a full life that Tidus will ever have, if we lose this we will in the end lose him as well." Yuna explained sadly. A sudden yawn came out of her as well.

She had obviously had a hard night, and it was now obvious for them all to see. Every muscle in her body felt tight and unrelaxed and she inwardly groaned to herself in pain.

"You're tired, Yunie. We should let you get some sleep, we'll talk about this later." Rikku said in concern for her cousin.

"No, no. It's fine really, I'm,-" Yuna tried before Lulu's soft voice broke her off gently.

"No, Yuna. You will do us all good and not to forget yourself if you just rest for a while. Okey? We'll be back in a few hours, just rest for now."

Knowing fully well not to object whenever Lulu insisted on one resting Yuna just smiled in appreciation as she really felt tired and said a sweet "Thank you" before following them all downstairs and out the door. She then closed and locked the door as she always did out of habit and went for a quick stroll into her kitchen where she went to get some cold water to cool her troath with.

Taking a seat on one of her kitchen chairs she tiredly sunk down on it with a heavy thud and placed her water-filled cup on the table.

Everything was just so tiredsome and helpless. She still awaited the Fayth to return with more information and some kind of hope of saving Tidus from truly leaving her side against both their wishes and will. But now she feared the information to come as well. With this force being unleashed or whatever the Fayth had said Yuna feared for the fate of Spira once again.

It was less than 2 days ago that she feared for Spira as Shuyin planned on destroying it all in his grief. If the information she recieved brought what she thought it would, she would have to fear for Spira a third time, and against her wishes of living peacefully and quiet, she would once more leave her home in Besaid to find a way to save Spira from another treath.

Slowly the apperance of a transparent boy started to form in front of her on the other side of the table. Being caught off-guard Yuna quickly acted on instinct and stood up, ready to defend herself if needed. There after her facial expression turned into a nervous frown when she was meet by the transparent image of Bahamut's Fayth.

"Oh, it's just you.." she mumbled from where she stood.

The Fayth nodded. "Were you expecting someone else to form before your eyes out of thin air?"

Yuna frown did not leave her face. "Cute... now tell me, did you manage to get anymore information?"

"Very well," the Fayth replied at her answer. "and to answer your question. Yes, I do have some news. But I can't really say that I've brought any good news."

"No worries, I wasn't really expecting any good ones either, seeing that Tidus is in a coma, that you're here and some unknown treath walking around Spira." Yuna answered sarcasticly.

The Fayth's gaze never left her eyes as his displayed nothing short of sadness. "I'm sorry you feel that way,"

"How else am I supposed to feel!" Yuna cut him off angirly. Her eyes flamed in anger as tears stung the corners of her eyes.

Bahamut's Fayth remained silent at this as he never really could pull a lie such as saying that he knew what she was going through. He could never know, he hadn't known anything else but dreaming for the last 1000 years. However his latest dream together with the other Fayth's had been more than what they had expected. Their dream had been touched by love, and touched love back. And when it came to end it all, it wasn't all that possible.

Their dream still lingered on the feeling of love, it was too intangled in emotions and too much involved in other people's lives. All the Fayth could do was to stay quiet as Yuna shot spitful comments and shouts all over him in anger and pain. After all, it had been his fault together with the other Fayth's to begin with.

"Never mind," Yuna calmly said after a while when her nerves had cooled down. "Tell me of these news you carry."

"Spira is indeed threathened by another evil, an evil far more greater than anything you've come across before. But as we know, everyone has a weakness. Good or evil, we all have our weak spots.

So does this evil as well, all you have to do is to find out what it is. And maybe then, somehow you might be able to defeat it. But I'm also concerned, this amount of evil in Spira has never been felt before. I do not know what high power you're up against, but I'll advise you to be cautious if you plan on defeating it for the safety of Spira." The Fayth said with concern in his voice. His eyes focused on Yuna's total facial expression. Her expression was nothing less than undreadable, and the Fayth awaited her answer.

"I will defend Spira once more. Even if it is the last thing that I'll ever do..."

"Very well, I have more to tell you though. This time about your love," he started when Yuna's eyes shot up in attention at the mention of Tidus. "Some of us in the Farplane has agreed to sacrifice a few more weeks of dreaming. It was said that our dream would be done by the time Tidus arrived back in Besaid. But seeing it as to what's been going on and how much you've had to sacrifice for us, we've decided to sacrifice something as well. By delaying our time of eternal rest and dream on more forceful. For a few weeks we will dream intensely and harder to keep Tidus strong and in an awake state." he spoke.

Yuna's face lit up in a small smile as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. The ghost boy in front of her had just made her the happiest woman on Spira at that moment.

"Thank you" she said with passion and gratitude. But when the Fayth's expression did not change one bit, she doubted what she had heard.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you shall thank me yet. Tidus will be allowed a few weeks of normal living, but there will be side effects. Such as moments where he might feel somewhat dizzy, headaches or maybe short moments of fainting and such. That will be because of us forcing an already forced dream into a deeper level. As we dream, it will grow intensely, aggressively almost. Which may cause Tidus some of these side-effects that I've just told you about. Also one more thing, if our sleep by any means gets shaken, we will continue our dreaming with as much strength that we can meassure up. But we can not promise you that we will succéed. This is where it stands to be a 50-50 chance of winning, or losing. Not to forget that you only have a few weeks to stop whatever it was that escaped into this world from the Farplane and send it back. Whenever something slips in or out of the Farplane that's not meant to stay there or leave from there changes the balance within the Farplane, thus so weakening everything. To restore the balance, you have to get whatever it was back. Before it's too late..."

"I see." Yuna muttered in understanding from where she still stood. "When will Tidus awake?"

"Not long after I've gone back to the Farplane. When I arrive there, that's when we will start dreaming forcefully. But I will return whenever I recieve some news, since I'm not going to be one of the dreaming ones. Rather I shall search for information about the Farplane escape."

"Very well, I will tell my friends about the situation and hope for them to join me in this." Yuna concluded finally. She watched the already transparent boy turn even more transparent as his outlines became faint to see.

"Until next time, Lady Yuna. I wish you well on this journey." He said normally as he faded into the nothingness around him, leaving Yuna alone in her kitchen.

She soon left the kitchen herself for she hurriedly went for the stairs up to her room where she would await Tidus awakening.

Arriving by the door step of her room she could not in a million years be more disappointed when she didn't reach the room in time to see him awake when her eyes fell upon his cerulean ones.

It took her breath away when she saw him in an half sitting-position on her bed with the most gorgeous look on his face when he recognized her presence. It seemed that he was half way through sitting himself up when she entered the room in haste. Yuna quickly sprinted the distance between them and knocked him back down onto her bed when she entered his embrace.

Pushing his body hard beneath herself she refused to let go of him as she silently cried in his embrace.

Tidus was beyond shocked and nearly terrified when he heard her soft cries. "Yuna, please don't cry. I-I'm sorry that I lied, but please don't cry." he begged, not at all knowing what to say or do.

"It's true, that you lied to me. But that's not why I'm crying." she replied in between her cries as tears softly ran down her smooth face and down onto Tidus's shoulder.

"Why're you crying?" Tidus carefully asked from beneath her as he went to carress her back in comfort. "Tell me."

Yuna sniffed before answering. "I was worried about you, and with the news that I carry... it will only make things harder for us to be together."

"Why do you say that, Yuna? Of course we're going to be together, can't you see the way I am now? I'm feeling stronger than ever, I don't think we have to worry about whatever has been going on with me." he tried smilingly as he indeed felt a strength coursing through his veins that he had never felt before. "It's all going to be okay now."

That's when he felt Yuna stiffen in his arms as she shook her head in the most negative answer that he had ever seen.

"But it's not okay! You don't understand, you didn't hear what the Fayth told me."

"What? The Fayth! Come on, Yuna. They're gone, remember? You put them to rest when you defeated Sin 2 years ago!" Tidus stated in what he thought was original fact.

"We, when we defeated Sin. I couldn't have done the job without all of you, and no. The Fayth's were supposed to be put to rest, but they haven't. During the time of Shuyin they were still there, guiding me somehow. I even meet one of them before your return... but that's not the point! The point is that they're not resting and everything is not going to be okay." Yuna exclaimed in such hurry that she lost her breath for a moment and had to pull herself out of Tidus embrace and sit up on her bed to breathe rightly.

"Spira is threathened again...and this time it's more powerful than ever."

_**---------------------------------------------------- **_

_**Okay everyone. That's it for this chapter. There might be an update in Saturday (European time) as well. I don't know, awaits to see if I have the time. The story wil start to form itself from now on, I think. Hope you all enjoyed, don't forget to review! **_


	13. Chapter 13: Beginning

**_Disclaimer: This is gettin' so old.. but noone wants to get sued.. Chapter 1!_**

Okay, Saturday has arrived here in Sweden. It's morning and I'm bored. So why not let on a new chapter. Two chapters on one week. Hmm, don't know if that would be a good thing, or a bad thing. Heh, either way. Hopefully you'll all enjoy and review. Would be really nice then Now on with the chapter!  


**_Enjoy!_  
**

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Chapter 13 - Beginning

"I can't go any further." Baralai exclaimed loudly as he bent over in fatigue, despertely trying to catch his breath. "It's a wonder I managed to get this far."

"We can't stop here, Baralai!" Gippal shouted in panic. "Didn't you see what was back there in Guadosalam? Couldn't you feel the death or even smell it? Could you even sense that sudden forc that seemed to chase us?"

"Of course I did! Do you think of me being blind or stupid? Of course I felt it, just as much as I saw it! But I'm telling you, I can't go any further at the moment." Baralai replied tiredly.

"We'll rest for a minute or two then." Nooj spoke up from where he stood ahead of them both. "I can't sense any danger lurking around at this moment."

Gippal gave a fustrated sigh before giving in. "Fine, but only for a few minutes. I for one do not want to join the Guados fate."

"I don't think any of us do," Baralai muttered from his position. "Do you think Leblanc and them was there as well when this happened?" He nervously asked Nooj. It was too late to get the question back now he concluded.

"I don't know..." Nooj only muttered, hiding what he feared to be true. "Last I heard from her was a couple of days when she mentioned going over to the Temple of Macalania. I hope she did what she told me..."  
"No worries, Nooj. I'm sure she did." Gippal said trying to encourage his friend as best as he could. "But right now I want to know what we should do about what we saw back there in Guadosalam."

"I'm thinking of talking this over with some of the high priests back in Bevelle. Maybe they might know anything of what brought this horrible fate upon the Guados."  
"I don't think that would be such a good idea," Nooj stated. "Letting them know of this will eventually lead to all of Spira knowing. You very well know that both the Yevonites such as The Youth's cover most of Spira with information and connections. Letting anyone inside those expeditions know anything would eventually leak out... We can't afford that when we still know nothing of what's going on."

"What do you suggest then?" Gippal curiously asked Nooj as he had earlier done in their Crimson Squad days when he was their leader.

"I'm thinking about talking this over with Yuna first. She's saved Spira twice, she probably knows more than any of us together when it comes to life and death in this world." Nooj replied in haste.

"I don't know, Nooj. Don't you think that after saving Spira two times is enough? I agree on you that she is indeed the best one to turn too, but I have to disagree as well. She's done enough for Spira as it is, dragging her into this would be mostly unfair to her." Baralai sincerly explained to them.

"Everything is already unfair towards Spira, Baralai. I understand that she deserves her time of peace, but to let this slide by as nothing is not something we can afford if you think about how many times Spira been put through danger. I'm not counting on her to go out on another adventure, I'm only to seek her guidance."

"Then may I suggest leaving now back to your camp, Nooj. There I can contact Rikku without being scared for all our lives." Gippal suggested slightly agitated.

"Very well, let's hurry. Try keeping up as much as you can, Baralai."

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"What do you mean, Yuna?" Tidus found himself asking her. But he only recieved her shaking image when she silently shook her head as the tears freely ran down her face.

He hated to see her this sad and vulnerable. His concern was more than evidant on his face as he gently stretched his arm out to her. He took a hold of her shoulder and brought her slender figure close to him. He felt her softly lay her head down on his own shoulder with a deep breath as more tears found their way out of her eyes. She quietly sobbed into him and it broke him into million pieces.

But that was when she finally opened herself up to speak some, and he only listened carefully.

"Everything is just piling up again. It hasn't even been a week ago since Shuyin and Vegnagun. You have been on the brink of death since the moment you arrived, and now Spira's threatened again.

When will it stop, Tidus? Will it ever stop?" she asked in pain and in sadness.

Tidus swallowed down his own urges to break down and cry right then and there with her before saying the only thing he could think of saying. "I don't know."

"All I want is to live a happy and normal life together with you by my side. I want to love you, I want to tease Rikku and Paine about Gippal and Baralai. I want to get married and have kids." she rattled up in haste. "I want all of these things. Yet they seem so far away from me. Somehow I don't think that I'll ever be able to get what I wish for anymore."

Tidus faintly wanted to smile at what she had just said. She had just confessed of wanting to love him, to get married and have kids. Somehow those words couldn't made him any happier.

But when her sad and empty words of never achieving what she wished for brought his spirits back down. He indeed understood her words when she said them. Seeing that she never did get a moment for herself, he could only wonder how she had managed to keep herself up for this long. But he also refused to let her think in that way as well, he wanted her to believe in herself, in her own strength and in his love for her. If she could believe strongly enough, she would never have to be sad or doubt their future again.

"Yuna, that's not true. And you better know it." he started quietly while still holding her in his arms. "I know things doesn't seemed to be looking up right now, but please. I ask you to believe in me and in yourself. Believe in us and you'll see that we will one day get our happiness. If it's now or in the near future, we will achieve what we wish for."

Yuna released herself from his arms slowly as her eyes connected with his cerulean orbs in a moment of tenderness. "You promise?" she sniffed.

"I promise" Tidus answered with a smile. His smile brought a shy one across Yuna's face as her mood felt a bit lighter. And Tidus felt his breath being taking away in that small moment only.

"You're so beautiful." He breathlessly uttered as his eyes never left her gorgeous tear-stained face. A shade of pink found itself spreading across Yuna's face at his words and she soon felt his hand gently caress the side of her face. She could only lean into this feeling as it was the only thing she wanted and needed right then and there. She wanted to feel loved more than anything else by the man she loved dearly.

In mere seconds Tidus face was but inches apart from hers and she could feel his warm breath above her mouth. She closed her eyes right before he spoke those words of love again.

"I love you" and then his lips were on hers warmly. She felt the tingling feeling inside her stomach as she could only take pleasure from what Tidus's mouth was doing to hers. He was soft and gentle at the same time as he was rough and passionate. He was incredible as he brushed his lips skillfully over hers in pure delight. She softly put pressure against his lips as she somehow wanted more than she was recieveing. After a few moments of gentle kissing she felt Tidus's tongue carefully trying to pry her mouth open in premission to enter. She obligied without hesitation as she herself wanted more than what they had already shared. She was a woman of 19, soon to be 20 and she had never been loved this was by anyone. She had never allowed anyone come this far with her as she only wanted this with Tidus. After what soon felt as an eternity but in reality only was a few minutes the couple broke apart in need of oxygen.

Yuna tried to cover up her tomato-red blush that had grown upon her expression from what they had just shared as she desperetely sought the need of major oxygen amount.

Never had she experienced something this intense or passionate. It was a mix of fright and heat in which she couldn't possibly decide if it was a good feeling or not. As it all felt dangerous and adventurous at the same time. She thought herself of beginning to learn some of the mysteries of love in which no one could teach out. It could only be felt.

"You're simply amazing, Yuna." she heard Tidus breath out as he himself sought air. She smiled from where she was hiding behind her hair and felt the tingling feeling inside her stomach only increase.

"I have never loved anyone as much as I love you..." Tidus muttered in thought. It sounded almost more to himself than to her. Yuna looked up from her hiding at his features and saw him lean back on her bed with his arms holding him up as he gazed up at her ceiling in wonder. He looked outmost relaxed and quiet as he just sat there.

"I love you too." Yuna stated from where she sat in a thoughtful voice herself, and she soon looked up at the ceiling herself. It was somewhat relaxing that way.

Just sitting on her bed, slightly leaning on her arms as support and looking up at the ceiling of her room. It represented more than she had ever thought of before.

It was simple and clean. A ceiling that bestowed nothing more than it's own color and it's purpose of sheltering her and her home. It was a simple thing that did so much.

Much like herself. She was but a simple human being that still did so much for Spira. As her ceiling had to take on the rain and wind at night to shelter her, she sheltered Spira from harm.

Yuna saw herself in that ceiling, and she poundered quietly if she was seriously being sane or insane for sitting there and staring at her ceiling like that.

"You know how simple a ceiling can be," Tidus slowly spoke. "but not many people stop to think about how much it represents and do for us."

"I agree." Yuna said in awe. She wondered if she had been thinking her thought out loud earlier or if Tidus just read her mind.

"It gives us shelter, it gives us warmth and protects us from various of things. It does so much to us, but as we humans are.. we never really pay attention to it much since it's not living or has any kind of feelings or thoughts of its own. For us it's just an object to cover us from rain and cold. For us it's nothing more than a ceiling."

"You're a ceiling in someway, Yuna. You protect all of Spira as this ceiling is protecting us at this very moment." Tidus exclaimed quietly. "I know of what lies ahead of you, of us. I know that you're planning to save Spira once more. And I want you to know that I'm not with you till the end, but always." he said, repeating those precious words he had said to her two years ago in the spring of Macalania after they had shared their first kiss together.

"Thank you" Yuna whispered in a quiet voice herself. Two simple words of gratitude and love just slipped out of her mouth, and it was enough to last Tidus a life-time.

"How do you say about going out and meeting the others and talk this situation of yours over?"

"Sure, would probably be best that way. We don't have much time." Yuna replied without thinking.

"Don't have much time about what?" Tidus asked her curiously as he stood himself up stretching.

Yuna crossed a panic line where she had to pounder over what to answer him. Would she be honest and tell him everything about his condition and the problems they had at hand, or would she keep it to herself for as long as she could? "Saving Spira of course" Yuna answered, just partly telling the truth. She would have to tell him later on, it was a bit too soon at that moment.

Tidus nodded with a smile at her answer. "Oh yeah, of course"

Yuna felt bad when she saw his smiling face when he trusted her words without doubt and never questioning her if she was telling the whole truth.

"Yeah" she muttered back with a fake smile as her heart broke down inside of her knowing well that she somehow would regret not being completely honest with Tidus.

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_Journal entry 005: Spira; Bevelle Undergrounds_

_Boss decided to take a small break while taking our way back through this place of secrets. She said something of wanting to lose weight_

_and so on refused to take upon the offer The Gullwings gave us of boarding their Airship out of the Farplane. _

_So we had to take the long way out through the Farplane and ended up here in the Bevelle Undergrounds. It's nothing short of the nervous feeling_

_I gained at The Farplane. This place of hidden secrets is bone-chilling. Bevelle, a place once thought to be one of the most treasured places in Spira_

_is nothing more than a place of conceit and evil. It's a good thing that the people of Spira that believed in the religion this place gave away haven't seen what I see now._

_It would scare them to death, crushing everything they ever believed in. Yevon is dead, but there's still a lot of followers in its path. _

_I pity them somehow. Believing so much in this place without knowing of its secrets and evil deeds. Although I must now agree that there is no better praetor than_

_Praetor Baralai to control this place. I trust him in many ways._

_But as I sit here, quietly writing this I can't seem to believe that much in this very place. Even with Baralai controlling everything, this place will somehow never fully_

_gain my trust. It has contained all to many secrets to fully be reborn. I can't shake this feeling of off me that it has more secrets than what we've already seen._

_Before me I see this blackened door. It's just as black as any other parts of his underground, but I sense something special about this part._

_As I look at it I see the barely seen inscription on it, but I can't read it. The language is foreign to my eyes. There's also a small box, containing 4 tiny buttons._

_It seems to be an access box. Some kind of password. I wonder what's behind this door for it to carry these wierd inscriptions and an access box._

_I believe it is not for me to find out, for as far as I know it's yet another dangerous weapon behind it. It could be another Vegnagun as far as I know._

_Or it could be something more worse, something cruel. I don't know, and I don't want to find out. I only hope that no one opens this door and unleashes whatever is behind._

_Boss is calling, time to go at last. I can't wait to leave this bone-chilling place._

_I hope to never return here ever again._

_Logos_

"Fairly intresting. This place doesn't seem to have changed all that much. Bevelle still seems to be the place of hidden secrets." he said to himself as he finished reading the fifth entry of this Logos person he followed through the journal. He closed the book in his hand and went to stand up. Looking around himself he found it yet again that if this indeed was Logos room that he did have a sense of fashion and decoration. He let his slender rough hand carefully slide across the handgun that hung from the wall ahead of him and let the feeling of metallic steel run through him.  
It had been eons ago since he had touched anything so cold yet beautiful. So when he now touched it he made sure that it would linger on with him for a very long time.

"I wonder. Could it be my future behind that door?" he asked noone but himself.

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Jai nervously paced back and forth in his room in loneliness. The sweat running down his forehead was indication of the last hour he had spent nervously pacing around.

He felt his insides refusing to let him calm down as every fiber of his being seriously wondered if what he was doing was the right thing.

Betraying all in which he believed, betraying Yevon, Bevelle and even more betraying Spira was a huge problem for him as he had accepted a foolish way to gain power and respect in life.

He had sold Spira out in his own greed for control and in fright for his own pitiful life. He doubted that the way he had acted those past few days would ever make him worth the lives of Spira.

Selling his soul to undertake whatever command his new master Alyzzia gave was a mistake he wished to undo. Although it was far too late now. His mistake would lead to Spira's destruction.

When he agreed to go under her name he had known none of her real plans for Spira. It was only after his soul was sold and the bond of promise was made that he had really come to know of her real plans. And that he would gain power and respect, but he would never be able to use it as Spira would fall at the same time.

Jai cursed himself quietly for his mistake. He couldn't feel more disgusted with himself. Silently he let another curse out as he saw the fiery fire merge in front of him as Alyzzia's perfect figure soon stepped out of it in grace. Her black length of hair softly hanging even more gracefully as she walked past him and over to his chair which she usually used.

"What's with the cursing, Jai? Still not used to my graceful entré or are you just not happy to see me?" she mockingly asked with a cold smirk.

"Not at all, Alyzzia"

"What's the point in lying when you're still weak, Jai? I can still read your mind."

"I know. My apologies" Jai replied quietly as he met her cat-like eyes.

"You regret ever meeting me, right? Even more so, you regret selling your soul to serve beneath me." Alyzzia said as she felt his thoughts and feelings through-out the room.

Jai remained quiet at this as he didn't want to answer, fully well knowing that whatever he said would only make her see the truth anyways.

"It's quite okay, I think. If I were you I would probably feel the same. Such a shame that there's no turning back, isn't it?" she smiled.

"May I ask you what you found out while being down there?" Jai asked trying to change the subject into more important things than lingering on a fact that could now be un-done.

"My, aren't we curious." Alyzzia laughed. "Although I did find some rather enjoying news that actually might help us in many ways."

"What is these news you speak off?"

"Well, it seems that my dear brother and his army is way too busy searching for another escapee to even notice my absence from my cell. I would've thought that hiding up here would be harder when my brother's bounty hunters searched my way for rewards. But it seems that the other one who escaped was the one caught on their radars. Leaving me free for the time being."

"Another escapee from down under?" Jai frightfully asked as his jaw dropped.

"Yes, another one. Someone of which I know of actually. I would've thanked him for bringing their attentions to him rather than to me. But seeing that I might need him in achieving my plans I can't yet tell him of very much or he will get to suspicous. I know of his limits, and I very well know of his plans and wants. After all, if I were to be in his place, I would think exactly the same."

"I see. Does he have a name?"

"Oh, he has a name alright. I've always envied that name as it means such beauty and it represents everything we demons want to open up, including my brother."

"What kind of name?" Jai asked intrigued as the suspense rose within him. Could there be such a name that even Alyzzia envied it? A name that represented everything those below wanted?

"Avernus." Alyzzia let the name slip out of her tongue as if it was the most treasured word ever. "In latin it means _Gate to Hades_"

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**_Okay, cliché ending.. I dunno. Hah, I justed wanted it explained. Avernus does indeed stand for 'Gate to Hades' in Latin. Did some research on it. Fairly intresting to read actually.. But no more of that for now. Review and do tell of your opinions on where you think this story is going. As you see, the plot is gettin' a bit clearer. Alyzzia plans on using Avernus for her own deeds. What deeds could that be? Jai is still weak.. Poor guy. What is behind that door Logos mentioned in his journal entry? What does this mysterious man in Guadosalam mean with 'Could it be my future behind that door?' Who is he? Could he be the Avernus that Alyzzia spoke of? Well, awaits to see in the continuation of Once More. Don't forget to review!_**

Till next time,  
Alexiel91 


	14. Chapter 14: Future Dreams

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1 as always.._**

Okay, chapter 14 arrives late. I know, and I'm sorry. I've just been so out of it to really get into writing lately. Just started taking my school seriously again, and I don't want to get out of it as earlier. So my total attention and focus has been turned into work.. But here sure enough, Chapter 14 arrives. I'm sorry for the delay. I don't know what to say of this chapter really.. But hopefully it won't be all to boring. Enjoy, and do review! 

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**  
Chapter 14 - Future Dreams**

The sun shined brightly over Besaid and the villagers walked around freely. By the Temple stairs sat a lonesome boy of the of 9 by himself. He niether said nor did he do anything as he only stared out at nothing in specific. His fierce yellow eyes reflected nothing short of sadness. He was alone, and not many people seemed to notice as very few knew the boy for who he really was.

It wasn't all too long ago when there were small discussions about him being able to sense things before they happened and him being able to sense things that had already happened from a very long distance. Good-hearted as the people of Besaid were, it didn't change the fact that they kept a distance from the kid as they feared on wether the kid had lost his sanity or if they feared the gift he said to have.

So there the kid sat for himself as people walked by not taking much notice in his evident sorrow. His eyes stayed fierce with nothing within them as he only looked forward.

It wasn't long before Rikku's blonde hair came into his view from where she stood outside of Lulu's hut together with Paine. Both engaged in an intense conversation over the situation at hand.

"Do you really think he's dying?" Rikku asked her friend frigthened.

"I don't know, I hope not for Yuna's sake."

"Yeah, I can't even imagine how she would feel if she lost him again. You saw how lost she was the first time." Rikku sighed in sadness. "A second time would crush her."

"Yeah, but we must keep our hopes up. I don't know Tidus all that much, but something tells me that he wouldn't give Yuna up a second time without fighting. He's a bit like Shuyin in that way.

Refuses to give up when his love is at stake. He would do just about everything for the woman he loves."

Rikku only stared in awe at her friend who had just poured out sensitive and warming words. "Who are you and what have you done to Paine, missy?"

"Very funny, Rikku." Paine scoffed. From the corner of her eye she saw the boy by the staircase of the Temple watching their way with an empty gaze. "A friend of yours, Rikku?"

"What? Who?" Rikku asked confused as to who Paine meant. She soon followd Paine's gesture towards the Temple and she soon caught onto who Paine meant. "No. But I've seen him around in Besaid a bit while visiting this place during our trip."

"He seems sad."

"And lonely." Rikku whispered before slowly making her way towards the boy, Paine right after her.

"Hi there!" Rikku smiling greeted the boy as she bent down on her knees to reach eye level with him. "What's your name?"

The both looked at her carefully at first before answering. "Daan"

"Daan, huh? That's a really cute name for a cute boy." Rikku smiled whilst Paine rolled her eyes at Rikku's attempt of cheering the boy up.

Daan's expression remained the same quiet and empty one. Rikku turned up to face Paine and was met by the same concerned and disturbed expression that she herself wore.

"Why're you here by yourself Daan?" but Daan only shrugged at her question and continued to stare at her with an empty gaze. "Did something happen to make you this sad?"

But no answer. Daan only remained still, as if he hadn't heard a word coming out of her mouth. Rikku tried not go get irritated at this, but she found it slightly difficult not to as she tried talkin to the boy and cheer him up and recieved nothing but coldness in return.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk then don't." She mumled with a sigh and stood herself up to her full length. She turned to meet Paine's shocked expression at her actions and went to go out of there when Daan's voice stopped her.

"It's my mother." he had shortly said. Rikku turned back to face him and she noticed the clear sad expression on him again. Forgetting her irritation with the boy just seconds earlier she returned to bending herself down on her knees in front of him.

"What about your mother? Where is she?"

The answer she recieved was not what she had expected. She had thought that maybe he had lost her and couldn't find her here in Besaid. But when he said "She's dead" she couldn't help but gasp.

"What? What happened? Where is she?" Paine questioned, confused and shocked as well.

"Guadosalam." Daan answered with a sniff as he for the first time spoke openly about what he had seen. "She's dead, just like the rest of the people over there."

"Guadosalam, dead like the rest of the people? What do you mean?" asked an even more confused Rikku.

"Everyone in Guadosalam is dead, slaugthered, murdered."

"How do you know of this? Did you see it happen?" Paine demanded. Everyone in Guadosalam being dead was nothing to joke about and she wanted the truth and nothing but the truth.

"I saw it," Daan hesitantly started. "in my dreams."

"In your dreams? Listen kid, going around saying that people are dead because you saw it in a dream is nothing to joke around with." Paine scolded, thinking the boy had only imagined it in his dreams.

"You don't understand. I, I sometimes see things in my dreams that actually happens."

Paine narrowed her eyes in confusion at what the boy was saying. "What?"

Daan looked at both of them as he quietly opened himself up for the first time in a long time. This was the first time in a long time that he had actually had someone to listen to him.

"It's something I've had for as long as I remember. My mom used to call it a gift. I rather see it as a curse." Daan explained sadly. "Being able to see things before they happen, when they happen. How can a thing that feels so painful be a gift? I've suffered through endless nights with these dreams of the future, the past and the present. Yet she calls it a gift..." he said those last words in tears.

Wanting to do anything to hear his lost mother say that it was a gift once again. Just to hear the voice of hers that he had been robbed of for eternity he felt like he wanted to give up the whole world just for a few seconds of being with her again. The only person who had really understood him and accepted his so-called-gift had been her.

"I was it in my dreams 2 nights ago. I saw her being slaugthered. It was so cruel, so evil." he cried "I-I miss her!"

Rikku looked back on Paine with a confused and sad face before craddling the boy in her arms, letting him cry out his sadness into her neck.

"Are you sure that this isn't just some imagination you're having? I doubt all of Guadosalam is dead." Paine questioned the boy further.

Rikku cast her an annoyed expression from where she still sat, holding the boy. "Not now, Paine." she said in a tight voice.

They soon heard the soft giggle of Yuna and the three turned their attentions to the young ex-summoner who exited her hut with Tidus smilingly after. Daan's expression remained sad even though the fact that he saw the woman he looked up to with fondness. Rikku's expression was unreadable and Paine stood where she stood with her usual expression on her face.

Yuna noticed her friends at the Temple stairs and a frown covered her face when she saw Rikku protectingly hold onto the little boy who carried the saddest expression she had ever seen.  
"Hey, come on!" Yuna urged Tidus in a whisper and went to where Rikku and Paine was. "What's going on?"

Rikku gave off a nervous expression, not really knowing what to say. "Uh, I, it's kind of hard to explain..."

"This boy states that all the people of Guadosalam is dead." Paine explained right after Rikku's attempt of telling Yuna and Tidus.

Both the girls laid notice to Tidus awake and seemingly healthy state this time around, but did not comment on it as Yuna went to ask them further with shock written all over her.

"What?" she had questioned, certainly not believing her ears. "Why do you say such things?" she then asked the boy.

"I, I see things." Daan started out, never meeting the ex-summoners face. "In my dreams, I watched them all die."

"In your dreams?" Tidus dumb-foundedly asked. "Are you sure that it wasn't just some ordinary dream?" for all he knew at this point was that only the Fayth's had different dreams then normal people.

"No. I swear to you that what I saw has happened. Everyone in Guadosalam has been slaugthered, including my..." Daan never ended his sentence as his sadness took-over again and he found himself gently leaning on Rikku again, softly sobbing.

"Including who?" Yuna sadly asked. Somehow already knowing the answer.

"His mother." Rikku revealed, still holding the sobbing kid.

Yuna looked at the boy with concern, pounding on the question if she believed his story or not. She barely knew the kid, but she really hoped for him to be wrong. To have lost a mother is an experience she had got to endure. She never wanted this boy to suffer through what she did.

"I'm not sure of what to think at this point." she said quietly. She noticed the people pausing in their works around them to get a glimpse at the commontion by the stairs. "But I really think we should get somewhere more private."

"I agree." Paine muttered and waved a hand in front of Rikku to indicate for her and the boy to follow. They all followed Yuna's lead over to Lulu and Wakka's home.

With a gentle nock on the door the gang was soon met by Wakka as he opened the door. "Hey, Yuna. Everything alright?"

"I don't know, we really need to talk."

"Oh, okay. Sure thing, just come on in." Wakka stepped aside and watched Yuna followed by Rikku and Paine together with a small boy pass him by.

Just as he went to close the door he felt the soft pressure of someone holding against his actions and he pushed the door aside to look who it was bothering him from closing the door to his home.

"Tidus? You're awake now, ya!" Wakka grinned as he laid eyes upon the messy blonde hair and blue eyes of the Star Blitzball Player.

"You could say that." Tidus grinned before entering the hut, hearing Wakka closing the door behind him.

Tidus followed Wakka through the hall into the living room and noticed how much this place was just like Yuna's. In the living room he was meet by the whole gang that was spread out throughout the whole room. Yuna and Lulu together on the double-seated couch. Little Vidina craddled in his mother's warm arms. Rikku and the small boy by a chair and Paine leaning on the wall right next to Rikku.

Both he and Wakka found theirselves a place to sit theirselves down. Everyone casting Yuna a glance, awaiting her to be the one to speak first.

"I really don't know what to think of this myself. But Spira's in danger again according to the Fayth's information. I rather not enjoy this fact, but I do believe them. I see no point in them lying after all these years of loyal co-operation that we've had with them during my Summoner days." Yuna started firmly, speaking in her most professional tone.

"I understand that I can not force or even ask any of you to sacrifice your lives for Spira more than what you've already done. I only want you to know that I will set out to protect Spira once again. I know that you all might think that saving Spira 2 times already is more than enough. I must agree with you on that as well, but this is who I am. How much I regret to tell this myself, but a part of me will always in some way set out to protect the world of which I was born into from any treathening danger. Yet I understand if I will be forced to go alone this time, without your support behind me. I see no reason for you to head out on another dangerous trip with me. I only say of my decision, and I will keep to it. This is who I am after all."

"What are you talking about, Yunie? Of course I'll follow, we'll all follow! Right!" Rikku exclaimed loudly, eyeing them all.

"I'm with you on this, Yuna." Paine sincerely said. Though the expression on Yuna's face was unreadable, she knew very well of the appreciation and warmth Yuna felt going through her veins at that moment.

"Thank you." Yuna whispered, holding her hand close to her heart as she eyed her best friends.

"We're with you no matter what, Yuna." Lulu gently laid her hand upon Yuna's shoulder while speaking. "You can always count on us."

"What Lulu said, ya." Wakka smiled, making his way over to his wife and child as well as Yuna on the couch.

All eyes now focused on the only one who hadn't said a word throughout the whole conversation. Tidus stood still where he was and was meet by all their gazes. They were awaiting his answer.

"I'm not gonna stay with you to the end, Yuna." he soon said. He saw all their gazes fall in disappointment except for Yuna's. He knew of what she was waiting to hear. "but always.." he added with a boyish smile, repeating his words of 2 years previous. Just merely changing the way he had said them to fit into this conversation better. Tidus watched them all look upon him in awe at how he had managed to bring them down so fast, and then slightly after bring them back up with two simple words. But Tidus cared for none of that as all he saw was Yuna's precious smile while remembering that time in Macalania.

They all were a bit shocked at Yuna's sudden movement of speed when she jumped up out of the couch and sprinted into Tidus's arms. Her lips forcefully on his as they soon engaged in a passionate kiss of which only the could understand the meaning of, leaving the other ones around shocked and bewildered, if not grossed out by their heavy moment of happiness and love.

Tidus held Yuna's body close to his by wrapping his arms tightly around her, while she held onto him by his neck. Their lips never leaving each others warmth as they feverently kissed each other.

"I love you," Yuna whimpered quietly against his lips after breaking apart for air. "so much."

"Well, what can I say?" Tidus smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I love you as well."

Yuna smiled, though tears of happiness stung her eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" she asked "I asked myself that everyday of our journey, I still do."

"By being who you are. Wasn't that what you said just earlier? That this is who you are? Saving Spira and all. If it hadn't been for you being that person in which you are, I don't think we ever would've meet. But then again, I really don't care of what each of us did to deserve each other. We love each other, that's all we ever need to know and hold onto from now on, ok?"

Yuna nodded with a smile. "Okay."

"Yuna?" Lulu asked from where she was seated. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask. Who is this boy?" he motioned to Daan who sat with Rikku on a small chair.

"I don't know of his name." Yuna answered confused.

"His name is Daan, and he carries some disturbing news." said Paine from where she stood.

"Paine, please." Rikku sighed, gently holding Daan close to her. "He's sad enough as it is. Please don't sound this negative and cold in front of him."

This time it was Paine's turn to sigh. "Fine, I'm sorry."

"Why's he sad?" Tidus wondered.

"His mother died, in Guadosalam, together with everyone else there."

"What!" Wakka yelled, almost waking Vidina after shortly falling asleep in Lulu's arms. "When did this happen, why haven't we heard anything yet?" he asked in a lower voice.

"2 days ago." Rikku replied, tigthening her grip around Daan in support. "Daan recently told us outside."

"How do he know of this?" Lulu questioned further, deeply disturbed and worried over the news.

"I saw it," Daan silently spoke, interruping Rikku from answering for him. "in my dreams."

Yuna looked outmost worried and confused at the same time. She walked closer to the boy next to Rikku and gently crouched down to stay at the same eye-level as him.

"In your dreams you say?" she asked. When she got a nod in return she continued. "Then you don't have to worry, Daan. It was all a dream." she smiled, not knowing at all of what she spoke of in front of Daan.

"You don't understand..." he quietly objected.

Yuna looked perplexed at the boy. "What is it that I don't undersand?"

When Daan remained quiet, not wanting to answer out of embaressment or another reason, Paine decided to speak up for him before Rikku.

"He says that he can forsee the future in his dreams at times, even the past and the present."

"What?" Tidus chuckled in disbelief at what he had just heard.

"You heard her," Rikku said simpply. "she said that he can sometimes see the past, the present and the future in his dreams."

Tidus said nothing to this, he only scoffed. Still not believing it.

"How can this be?" asked Yuna, ignoring Tidus negative influence, and trying to keep a clear mind herself as to what she heard. She knew that even the impossible could turn out to be possible after what she had been through during her lifetime.

Both Paine and Rikku shrugged at Yuna's question. "We don't know."

"Daan?" Wakka carefully asked the boy.

"I don't know, my mom just called it a gift..."

"Well, are you sure this wasn't just an ordinary nightmare that we all have from time to time?"

"No, it was real." Daan regretfully stated. "My mother is dead, everyone in Guadosalam is."

Rikku held Daan even tighter in support, knowing that losing a mother at that age couldn't be easy. She didn't know what to think of this story, but she knew of Daan's heartbreak. So on knowing that what he told them couldn't be a total lie. Something wierd did occur in Guadosalam, and whatever it was. It couldn't be very good if everyone was dead.

"Daan, there's milk and some cookies in the kitchen if you would like some. Why don't you go in there and make yourself comfortable while we adults talk some things over, okay?" Lulu said sincerely to the boy and watched him nod barely before heading off to the kitchen.

"What do you think of this, Yuna?" Lulu asked when Daan was out of sight. Her voice clearly full of worry and confusion.

"I don't know." Yuna replied in a distraught and tired voice.

"Do you think it has an connection with what the Fayth's told you?" questioned Wakka from where he stood beside Lulu. He desperetely tried to use every part of his brain to connect everything together.

"I don't know, maybe. Probably..."

"Wait a minute," Tidus inturrupted, stepping closer to the group. "do you seriously mean to say me that you actually believe this boy and his future dreams? What is he? Like, 7 or 9 years old?"

Tidus never saw the raise of Rikku's hand before he felt her hard slap across his shoulder as she furiously stared at him. "You should know better than to judge anyone by their age! Shame on you, did you not see the look on Daan's face? How could you in any possible way not consider it all being true? I doubt anyone can look and feel so hurt if they were lying, Tidus."

"Yeah, but still..." Tidus began, before Yuna interrupted them both.

"Drop it will you, even if it's true or not we still have to go to Guadosalam. The Fayth's said that something disturbed their sleeping as it _escaped_."

"And your point is?" Paine asked.

Yuna sighed loudly for them not thinking at all. "Where are the Fayth's?"

"The Farplane." Tidus shrugged. "Everyone knows that."

"Exactly! Which means that whatever escaped and is now threathinging Spire escaped from the Farplane." Yuna said, connecting the dots for the others to see.

"Oh, yeah!" Rikku jumped excitedly at her cousins ability to use her brain.

"So you're heading to Guadosalam then?"

"Yes." Yuna responded to both Wakka and Lulu "And you two are going to stay here and take care of Vidina."

"No, Yuna, please." Lulu spoke "We stayed here while you fought off Vegnagun. You can't ask us to stay here and do nothing to help you."

"You were pregnant, Lulu." Yuna smiled in apology. "And now both of you and Wakka are parents. You need to take care of Vidina, not me."

Wakka and Lulu sighed, knowing that Yuna very much had a point in the matter. All they could do now to help Yuna was to take care of themselved and Vidina, so Yuna could focus on saving Spira again without having them as an distraction.

"Okay, but please. Be careful, all of you. And don't forget to report in every now and then with news and updates."

"Don't worry." Yuna smiled.

"Off to the Celsius then!" Rikku cheered.

"The Celsius?" Tidus asked confused. "What's a Celsius?"

"You'll see soon enough." Yuna giggled, embracing his hand with her own as she ran out the hut and started towards the beach where she would soon await to see Tidus reaction to the big airplane that she used to glide through the skies onboard with the Gullwings.

"Rikku, wait!" Paine called, right before Rikku ran out the hut as well. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh, yeah. Daan!" Rikku remembered. Now very nervous as to how she would handle the situation with Daan.

"Don't worry, Lu and I'll take care of it." Wakka offered "Just go, ya!"

"Thanks, Wakka!" Rikku thanked before running out together with Paine. Both trying to catch up to Yuna and Tidus who were now a long ways ahead.

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_** Okay ppl, that's it for this chapter. As I said earlier, don't know what to say really.. But I think it explains a bit of what's to happen next. And a new original character was presented.. Daan. I'm thinking of him maybe having a bigger role in this later, but it awaits to see. Review and tell me of your thoughts, no flamers though With a few reviews on it might get me motivated to write a little faster, even with schoolwork on my shoulders. Who knows.. I sure don't know anyways.  
Cheers everyone, hope you enjoyed. Review!  
**_


	15. Chapter 15: Good and Evil

**_Disclaimer: Chapter 1, seriously thinking of stopping this.. It's gettin' old.._**

**_Okay, chapter 15.. Might be the only one up for a while.. I'm really slacking off on the writing... School's taking its toll on me now that I'm seriously starting into it again.. And I don't want to mess it up with another depression.. I have enough of that as it is.. But I will eventually try to update as often as possible.. Chapter 15 is hopefully not as boring as 14. But that's up to what you think.. Enjoy either way.._**

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**  
Chapter 15 - Good and Evil**

"There's an incoming call from The Youth League's Headquarter!" Shinra announced from his seat in the ship.  
"Accept it!" Paine ordered as they all joined in around Shinra to watch whatever news The Youth League carried.

"Gippal, Baralai?" Rikku wondered when she saw them all crushed together with Nooj to fit into the small image of the sphere.

"Hey, Rikku!" Gippal smiled, seeing the small shade of red growing across Rikku's face as she happily greeted him back.

"Not now, Gippal." Nooj sighed. "Is Yuna there?"

"Here!" Yuna answered, showing herself more clearly for Nooj to see. "What's up?"

"We carry some disturbing news, about Guadosalam..."

"You guys went there?" Buddy questioned.

"Yes," Baralai sadly admitted "I wish we hadn't."

"Why, what happened?"

"When we arrived, we encountered the most horrific scene ever. Everyone there was dead, slaughtered in brutality." Gippal said, trying to muster up as much strenght to keep himself from puking.

"So you mean to tell me that Daan was right?" Tidus exclaimed from behind everyone, making it impossible for anyone to know who the voice came from.

"What? Who's Daan?" Baralai curiously asked, what was it that this Daan was right about anyway, he thought?

"Nothing, we can talk about that later. What I want to know is what brought you to Guadosalam in the first place." Yuna said.

"We recieved a distress signal about something escaping from somewhere. We didn't get much more than that, niether a name of the one who escaped, and niether what it escaped." Nooj explained, almost feeling himself re-telling a tale for the 10th time in a short period of time.

"I sent out two of my men, since I didn't actually count on it being that very much of an emergancy to call in a squad. I sent Laq and Aiko out, and they never returned. That's when I set out with Baralai to inspect this. We meet Gippal on the way, and what we encountered will somehow forever stay with me in my nightmares."

"I see," Yuna answered, she herself trying to sound as professional as she could without showing any sign of weakness now when she needed to stay her strongest.

"This has to have a connection with what the Fayth said..." she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing, did you see anyone or anything there that could've been the cause of the whole mess?"

"No, we didn't stick around for us to share the same future as that place," Baralai admitted, shame for his own cowardness never escaping the girls. "but as we ran, we felt this aura of evil and hunger chase us all the way back to the Shopuff ride. It's hard to explain, nothing short of a terrifying feeling though."

"Where are you guys now?" Tidus asked, not really knowing of who these guys was or where they were in Spira.

"Who is that?" Gippal questioned, not recognizing the voice.

Tidus stepped forward and was met by what he expected to be met by.

"Shuyin!"

"No! He's not Shuyin!" Yuna defended. She took a hold of his arm and dragged him closer to her side. "This is Tidus, he was and still remains a guardian of mine from my journey days as a Summoner."

Nooj and the two others remained quiet. Making Yuna take the discussion to an end.

"We're passing by your camp in a few minutes on our way to Guadosalam, do you want us to pick you guys up?" she asked them. "So we can all talk this over more together onboard?"

"Very well." Nooj replied, ignoring Baralai and Gippal's comments and questions about Yuna qutting the Gullwings or not wanting to save Spira once more.

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"I thought you were intrapped by your brother, Alyzzia." Avernus voice echoed through the halls of the dead city of Guadosalam.

"Haven't you heard? I was released after being imprisoned for over ten centuries." Alyzzia smirked, looking around herself at the fairly strange blue, green place she was within.

"What is this place?"

"Don't change the subject! I find it very hard to believe that your brother Aztrax actually released you this soon after your little stunt for power struggle with him. I find it very hard to believe that he would ever release you at all."

"Think what you want, Avernus. You're not the one born with a sibling, you can't possibly know of the love bond a brother and sister share."

"I have to agree with you on that." Avernus smiled at her cleverness. "But that doesn't answer me why you're here, around me."  
"Let's just say that I need to find some entertainment after being trapped inside a cell for such a long time. When I heard of your escape I couldn't help but think that this was my chance for a very wild ride." Alyzzia said as she encirkled Avernus, taking in every aspect of his appearance, which for her was an incredible view. "I know of your plans of dominating Spira. Is it true that this was the world you once lost through entrapment by my brother as well?"

"I can't lie about that, now can I? Truth is, I despise your brother, I despise humans. Escaping your brother so-called top security cells is my way of taunting him, and to rule Spira, is my way of killing and hating humans. Still I can't figure out where you fit in." Avernus explained, telling of what he saw of his future.

"How about making me fit into the role as your companion in this? Of course the prize in the end is yours, you can have Spira for all I care. Just let me be there with you along the way, provinding you help and protection from my brother's bounty-hunters. After all, I do want to settle my score with those awful demons who tortured me while I was imprisoned." Alyzzia said, making every word sound duller than the previous as every new one sounded promising and lustful.

"I can't see why I need any protection in this at all, Alyzzia. I prefer going solo on this one."

"Don't get over your head too much, Avernus. I can sense what you plan, what you want. You know what that means right? If I can sense through you, it's evidence enough of you having a weak mind. You think that you can overpower my brother's men with such a weak mind? They're trained in ways of which you could never think off." Alyzzia spat

"Oh, is that so?" Avernus smirked.

"Your mind is clouded by hatred and vengance. You're angry at my brother because you lost your chance to control this world centuries ago." she said to him, telling of what she saw within him.

"You want to control this world, at the same time as you taunt Aztrax. You cannot manage that with such a weak mind that even I can see through."

Avernus expression turned into a disturbed one as the woman in front of him dared to call him weak. That she dared to speak of his plans so openly. He understood her point, she was her brother's sister. She knew of what she spoke off. Yet he couldn't help but wonder.

"And what do you get out of helping me?" he asked, trying to sound as if hadn't gotten affected by her words at all.

"As I said, I'm only doing this for the entertainment of it all, nothing more." Alyzzia lied with a smile.

"I still don't trust you, unless you somehow can prove yourself of being helpful to me." Avernus crossed his arms across his chest, awaiting her response.

"I sense that you want whatever is hidden behind a certain door in the Bevelle Undergrounds, yes?"

Avernus nodded nervously, was he really that weak-minded? He focused all of his powers into controlling his emotions, and so on hoping to cloud his mind from her radar.

"What if I told you that I could get you into Bevelle unharmed, a free-pass into the very depths of the city of secrets?" Alyzzia offered. "Of course the guards would only dare to hurt you. But you, can kill at your own will. Spill as much blood as you want, crush as many bones as you please yourself to do. Hmm, what do you say, my dear friend?"

"I say whatever is needed to say after you've proven yourself to be able to do this." Avernus smiled, liking the idea more and more with every second that passed.

"Consider it done, start your journey now and you'll get a scratch-free entry by the time you reach Bevelle." was the last Alyzzia said before flames of red encirkled her whole being, sucking her inside it's fury depths and disappeared together with her.

"It's a shame for someone born out of pure evil to be such a beauty." Avernus smirked as he went to start his journey to Bevelle, where more blood to be spilled awaited him. "A total shame..."

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"Baralai, stop this nonsense!" Paine shouted, trying to get some sense in the white-haired praetor.

"How can I not act defensive when someone being an exact replica of Shuyin is before me? How can you all be so sure that he's not Shuyin?" Baralai asked them all furiously.

"Because he's not!" Yuna said back, harshly. "I've known Tidus longer than any of you on this ship, and I would know if he was Shuyin or not. He is not Shuyin!"

"I believe you." Gippal smirked from where he stood next to Rikku. "He doesn't look like Shuyin all that much when you think about it. Shuyin had this grown-up sense to him and his features, unlike Tidus here."

Tidus shot Gippal a questioning look. "So you're meaning to say that I look alot more childish than Shuyin?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Gippal smiled, noticing Tidus reaction to all of this.

"Why you," Tidus trailed off as Yuna cast him a stern gaze. "hmpf.. How old are you then?"

"Older than you, I bet." Gippal smirked, nonchalantly.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Gippal." Rikku smiled, knowingly. "He's the same age as Yunie."  
"Whatever, what is age anyway!" Gippal scoffed at them all.

"I would say the same. Although I wasn't the one calling my looks childish." Tidus replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You all are acting childish!" Brother exclaimed. "You all a bunch of kiddies!"  
"Oh yeah, then what are you? A psycho with a touch of inbreed loving?" Tidus countered, somewhat proudly of his choice of words.

Yuna however, couldn't believe that Tidus had just said that. She sighed loudly and made it clear to everyone, especially Tidus that she wasn't at all pleased with what he had said.  
Tidus, not slow on getting the point that she was mad, but very slow on as to why she was mad made a haste call of her name only to be ignored. "Aww, come on. What did I do now?"

"Why don't you use your brain to figure that out. Unless it's in its childish stadium still, making it rather hard to really think." Gippal laughed, still by Rikku's side, earning himself a quick punch into his right shoulder by her small, yet powerful hand. "Hey, what'd you do that for?"

"That's for you not knowing when to keep your mouth shut." she replied annoyed.  
"I very much enjoy this lively conversation going on, but please. Can we go on with the subject at hand, as it seems to be very disturbing yet important." Nooj said, speaking up for the first time since coming onboard the Celsius.

"I agree," Yuna said openly to them all. "if what you told me about Guadosalam is true, do you have any idea as to who might've done this?"

"No, as Baralai said earlier. We didn't stay around all that much to find out. We felt a strange aura of death around the whole place, and the aura stayed with us all the way to the Shopuff." Nooj explained sadly. He wished he had somehow stayed behind to find out who or what it was that had caused the death of his soldiers together with all of Guadosalam.

"Whatever it is, it has immense power to kill off everyone in Guadosalam. Think about it, a normal human could not be the cause of this." Paine stated. "To think a human of some sort killing everyone in Guadosalam? The poor human would be killed or caught eventually when entering a city full of people."

"I see where your point lies in this, Paine. But I would rather think of it being someone human than some overpowered beast." Yuna admitted with a sigh. "Although I can sense the connection with Guadosalam and what the Fayth told me."

"What are you speaking of, Yuna?" Baralai asked her. "What is it that the Fayth has told you?"

"I don't know very much. But the Fayth came to me, explaining the situation behind Tidus' health, and then he mentioned something about some kind of evil escaping. While so, I thought that it has to be the Farplane in which it escaped from. Because that's where the Fayth's are from what we know." Yuna explained hastily.

Tidus expression turned into a confused frown as he went to ask her something. "What do you mean with my health?"

Yuna turned to look at him. She panicked, she had slipped up on the lie she had pulled on him just hours earlier. She couldn't handle this just now.

"Nothing, what I meant was that he wondered if you had returned or not." she smiled, hating herself with every passing second. She was pulling a second lie upon the first one.

Tidus not knowing wether to believe her or not just shook his head in confusion and walked a bit from them all to sit himself in a corner. Wanting some alone time to let it all sink in.

Yuna watched her love with sadness in her eyes. She thought it was for the best not to let him know the full truth just yet, he was already so confused as it was. She was all too confused herself.

"Connection or not, we'll have to find out when we reach there." Nooj spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, how much longer will it take Brother?" Rikku asked her brother.

"About 30 more minutes." he replied with pride over that The Celsius had such a speed.

"Great, why don't we all just take a while to pack up what we might need and just rest the rest of the way." Rikku smiled, recieving accepting glances.

Yuna took this opportunity to spend some time with Tidus. Hopefully she would be able to make him feel a bit better considering the circumstances.

She slowly walked over to where he sat in the corner with his face buried down into his knees which he held up with his arms around them. She softly sunk down into a crouching position and reached out to gently touch his shoulder, making her presence known to him. Yuna awaited as he slowly looked up, showing his bright blue eyes to her in complete vulnerability.

She smiled, trying to push away the tempting sigh she wanted to express. Her hand gently went to caress the side of his face, and she saw him lean into her touch.

Tidus felt the incredible warmth that only her had gave away. He felt himself wanting more of this intoxicating feeling. He wanted to embrace her and feel her in his arms, he wanted to taste her lips again with hunger. All he wanted was her; her warmth, her skin's softness, her lucious lips and her incredible love.

He stopped leaning into her soft touch, very much to his dismay, and straightened himself up. He was now looking down on her, she was still crouching. He offered his hand down and smiled when she smilingly accepted it. It seemed that she knew what he felt the need for, and she felt the same.

Yuna tightened her grip on his hand and smilingly walked ahead of him, pulling him behind her out of the room where everyone else minded their own business. She thanked whatever high power Spira now had after Yevon that no one seemed to notice their disappearance from the bridge as she led Tidus into the elevator with a grin.

"Aren't we sneaky now, miss Yuna." Tidus teased, grinning more widely than ever at how she managed to take the lead in everything they did.

"We can stop if you don't agree." Yuna said in a simple emotionless voice.

"No, no!" Tidus almost yelled in panic at what she had just suggested. "I was only kidding."

"So was I." Yuna giggled. Tidus was always one to be easily fooled by her. A cute thing in her opinion.

The elevator closed, leaving only the two of them inside the small room. Both of them fell silent, just looking into each other eyes, letting the gentleness of the moment seep into them.

"So, what do we do now?" Tidus asked after a while.

"I don't know. I just wanted to be alone with you. We haven't really had much alone time with each other in our awake since your return." Yuna stated sadly.

She slowly felt herself close up on him and gently swing her arms around him, embracing him lovingly. Just wanting to feel warmth from inside his arms.  
Tidus smiled at her small yet loving gesture and returned it warmly as his arms went behind her back to softly hold her closer to him.

"Do you know anything about what happened?" he quietly asked her, holding her tighter.

"What do you mean?" she wondered, stifling the moan that wanted to escape her mouth as he continued to hold her.

"About what happened to me?"

Yuna flinched slightly unaware to Tidus, as she rested her head against his solid chest. She felt his heartbeat so close to herself in the safety of his arms.

"No, I rather not dwell on it right now. All I want this moment is your love." she said, blushing a crimson red color at her own words.

"I think I can deal with that." Tidus chuckled before retrieving one of his arms from behind her back to softly touch her chin, lifing it up ever so slowly so her eyes met his. "I'd do anything for you." he whispered before his lips crashed down on hers. With his other arm still around her slender waist he tightened his grip on her, pushing her closer to him as he caressed her cheek with his other while feverently meeting her lips over and over in desire and passion. He no longer remembered himself or where he was as all he could think of was the beautiful goddess he was now kissing.

Yuna moaned loudly into Tidus' mouth as the kiss grew deeper and she soon felt his tongue enter her mouth. She let her own tongue meet his in a dance they would not forget anytime soon.

Tidus hurriedly deepened the kiss more in his graving for more, and he soon pushed Yuna up against the wall behind her, making her backside accidently hit the elevator button leading to the Engine Room without any of them noticing it. Tidus let his hand glide from her cheek and entangle itself in her hair as their kisses became even more heated.

They both broke apart hastily when they both heard the elevator door open itself as it had arrived by the engine room. Yuna giggled at Tidus' startled look on his face and was soon met by his cerulean eyes which shoned with passion. "T-that was..." he gently started in a sweet voice.

"Amazing." Yuna ended for him with a smile.

Tidus nodded smirkingly as he bent down to put a small and innocent kiss on her lips. "We better get back to the others before they get way to suspicious."

"Brother might get suspicious, he always is." Yuna giggled. "Rikku and Paine is way over their heads about having Baralai and Gippal onboard that it doesn't matter if we're there or not, they wouldn't notice it very much. Shinra and Buddy doesn't care about it as well."

"What a fantastic crew you guys have on this ship. If we count Brother way, it would be the perfect crew." Tidus joked as he went to push the button leading to the bridge behind her.

Yuna slapped him playfully on the shoulder with a smile. "Stop it will you, he's my cousin after all."

"Yeah, that's why it's disgusting to have him onboard. You do know that he has an immense crush on you?"

"I wouldn't call it immense." Yuna muttered, turning her back to Tidus as she leaned into his arms with her backside. "Besides, he's probably over me by now. He knows that I only love you."

"Doesn't change the fact that he had a crush on his own cousin." Tidus sighed into her hair as he held her.

"Give him a chance, he's actually not that bad when it comes to entertaining us." Yuna said simply as the elevator came to a stop, the door in front of her opening immedietly.

Still holding her back tight to his chest he followed her out of the elevator with his hands hooked around her stomach. "Fine, but if I see any moves coming from him, then don't expect me to hold back."

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_** Okay, end of chapter 15.. A bit of Avernus and Alyzzia conversation up above.. Guess that's the only part I really liked, I somehow like the bad guys a bit more than anything else.. Good is boring, Evil is fun.. as it says.. Hehe..  
Til next time**_

_**Alexiel91 **_


	16. Chapter 16: Keep Searching

**_Hello everyone again.  
Been a while I'd say.. well, it has. Been happening stuff around me everyday, and writing has just been the last thing I've had time or motive to do.. But really, I would lie if I said I wasn't writing at all.. Cuz I have, I just haven't been writing on Once More.. Been working on original projects such as a few other fics I'm planning on putting up once I've gotten the plot line straight on them. I surely hope Once More will not be left as an uncompleted project, but it most certainly won't be completed in the near future I'm afraid. I'm slacking off on the Final Fantasy interest, we all have our periods where we  
just can't find the interest. But I am and will always be a Final Fantasy fan. The FF-fire will lit up again powerfully once FFXII's American release date comes closer. I've been too busy playing Kingdom Hearts 2 as well, but I finished it 2 days ago, so I'm free to write again. However, I won't be writing Once More so often.. Sorry, but I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you all that much. Enjoy, and please do review :) _  
**

_** --------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**Chapter 16 - Keep Searching**

The lightning thunder echoed throughout the whole plains of the Thunder Plains. Avernus slowly walked his way through, cursing for not being able to take himself to other places the same way as Alyzzia. He did not posses the powers in which she held within her. Unlike him, she was the daughter of the forsaken, and sister of the ruler. She was born with immense power.

Avernus wondered if she really wanted to help or use him. But he could do nothing as it laid now, she had the power to send him right back to hell if she so wanted. Messing with her with the weak mind of his would not be a good option. Avernus continued walking his way through the Thunder Plains when he soon encountered a small Inn house coming closer into his view to his left.  
He smirked, Spira had changed a bit since his time there. If he could find any people in there to spill blood with, he would agree that it had changed for the better.

Stepping closer to the Inn with each step he took he soon reached the front door. With a wicked smile he grabbed a hand on the doorknob and turned it and slowly entered inside.

"Welcome my dear friend." an old man warmly greeted from behind the desk. Right next to him stood a elderly woman at the same age who smiled warmly as well to him.

It was a disgusting feeling to see their smiling faces, Avernus thought. Yet he tried to muster up a weak smile himself to gain him more time to inspect the place before he went on to give himself a few minutes of pleasure.  
To his right side a young boy sat on a chair, looking seemingly bored. A woman right next to him had her attention on a bookcase, rummaging through the books in search for a special one.

Avernus felt the bond between the boy and the woman. _Mother and child,_ he thought. Killing them would be outmost cruel, but then again. Who was he to care for any human beings?  
He looked to his left to see a rather peculiar trio all close together around a table. Each having their own cup of coffe before them on the table.

One of them was awfully tall and expressionless. The one in the middle was female, unlike the two others that were males. Avernus looked at her in disbelief as he noticed what she was wearing.

It was awfully a turn-on as the blonde haired woman in her pink dress which covered up very little on her front frame seemed to be every mans fantasy. She was a beautiful woman, but Avernus wondered if she was as smart as she was beautiful as she hardly seemed to be able to hold a cup right. To the womans right sat the short and tubby guy. Avernus had hard to see if it was a smile or a frown the man carried with that round face of his. A peculiar trio indeed.

"Come on, Boss. Let's just get back to Guadosalam." the tall one complained. Avernus listened in closer as he seemed to recognise this somehow.

"Yeah, Boss. I want to go home. It was only a waste of time to go to Macalania like that. You decided to turn back halfway through the forrest." The tubby one said in exhaustion.

"Will you two stop complaining! It's not my fault that I saw no point in going there halfway through." the woman explained. _Truly out of her mind..._ Avernus noted to himself with a sigh.

"But why did you have to drag Logos and I around if you were to change your mind?" the tubby one asked in disbelief.

"Stop complaining for once, Ormi." the woman sighed.

Avernus attention was caught at that very moment. _Logos..._ he remember that name from the journal he carried with him. It was the writer's name. Could it be the same Logos sitting right next to him that had seen the room in Bevelle's Underground? It had to be, Ormi was there as well, and their blonde leader Leblanc.

Avernus quickly reached inside his robe, searching for the journal that he had brought with him from Guadosalam and went over to where the peculiar trio sat. A smile plastered across his face.

"Excuse me, but did one of you call each other by the name Logos?" he smoothly asked.

"What does it concern you?" Ormi asked the strange man before him in distrust.

"Nothing, I was only wondering if the Logos who wrote this journal happened to be one of you." Avernus explained, dropping the journal flat on the table.

As expected the tall one of them reacted when his journal was in view. "Where did you get this?" he asked, reaching for his journal.

Avernus smirked knowingly as he watched him take the journal. "Guadosalam..."

"What were you doing there, and how did you get into Logos personal things without entering his room?" Leblanc demanded.

"Who said that I wasn't in his room?" Avernus asked smugly. The smirk never leaving his face.

"Listen, I don't know what your trying to pull off here, but I don't appreciate you going through my personal things at all." Logos said in a disturbed voice.

"Do you really think I care what you appreciate and don't appreciate?" questioned Avernus like a madman.

Leblanc made a stand for it and shrugged quickly. "Never mind, let's just leave."

Her companions made the same gesture as her, to stand up and walk away when Avernus yet again spoke up. "I don't think so.."

Before they knew it they saw blood being splattered all over the place as Avernus made a swift turn of his wrist. He had just killed off he old man by the counter and the old woman soon followed the same destiny as him when she refused to shut her endless screaming.

Leblanc watched in horror as the woman and her child on the other side of the Inn ran into each others embrace in fright at the scene. Avernus slowly walked over to them and smiled at the young boy when he stood in front of them. He eyed the woman, standing face to face with her. With a speed like no other his hand reached her troath, holding it tightly.

The woman cried in agony at the pain from his hold, and from pain that her son was witnessing all of this without her being able to do anything about it.

"May you rest in.." he said, now slowing his voice down into a strained one, speaking only of agony. "p.i.e.c.e.s."

The son was filled with horror as he saw his mother's head being ripped of her body. The image replayed itself in his mind over and over as his mother's dead corpse laid bleeding down the whole floor. His eyes remained empty as he said nothing, and did nothing. He only saw the repeating images. He did not see Avernus sink down to his length with a evil smile. Before the child knew it, darkness consumed him.

Leblanc could not move, neither could Logos or Ormi as it all went so fast. However the speed of it, they were able to see it with their own eyes, and they couldn't stand it at all.

They tried to make a run for it through the door, but Avernus was just all to fast for them.

"Now now, leaving so soon?" he smiled, he had some blood stains over his face and hands from his messy slaughter seconds earlier, but it was only a joy for him to feel the crimson liquid on his skin.

"What are you and what do you want?" Leblanc asked harshly. She couldn't believe this man. How cruel he was, what he had just done. She remembered the boys expression as he watched his mother die. Did this man or monster not have any dignity in him? Could he not have killed he child first and spared him the images of his mother's death to be the last he saw? Leblanc felt sick more than anything.

"None that concerns you. I only search for Logos." Avernus barked as he brought his hand up so his eyes could see it stained in red. He stared at it with desire as a kid would stare at candy.

"What do you want with him?" Ormi managed to squaek out through his frightened state.

"I want him to show me the door in Bevelle's Underground." Avernus said, not noticing exactly what had slipped out of his mouth as all he could was to desire the taste of what his hand now carried.

"What?" Logos wondered for a moment. He looked down on the journal of his that he held and thought quickly. Then it came to him... _the door..._

They all watched in disgust as Avernus slowly licked a bit of the dripping blood from his hand. They were even more disgusted when they saw him smile in content.

Logos understood by what he saw that the monster in front of them enjoyed to kill. It was somehow of a hobby for him, since he did it so skillfully. The fact that he also licked the victim's blood with such desire and content made Logos even more convinced by it. He also knew that this man meant business, he was no one to fool around with. Logos did whatever needed to do in his situation.

"Alright, I'll show you the door without any resistance on one condition."

"What? No!" Leblanc shouted at him, refusing to let him even bargain with such a monster.

"Eh, I don't make deals with humans." Avernus stated coldly.

"Then you will have to kill me and then I will never show you the way." Logos simply countered,desperetely trying to keep his cool.

"There's always a first time to everything I guess." Avernus sighed. "Tell me of this condition of yours that you have to propose."

"I'll go with you willingly if you let Ormi and the Boss go without any harm." Logos said, trying to shut out the complaints and refusement coming from Leblanc and Ormi.

"Very well, it's a deal." Avernus smiled before he continued licking the blood of his hand before it dried up completely.

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"This is horrible." Yuna closed her eyes at the scene before her, trying to block the image out. Tidus was by her side in an instant as he himself understood her feelings towards the sickening scene.

"What is horrible, Yuna?" Brother's frantic voice asked through the Gullwings tiny headsets.

Rikku rolled her eyes to her two companions. "Nothing that we can't handle without you."

"Is he always like this?" Tidus found himself asking, eyeing Yuna in question about just how many time Brother was like this.

"Not always, but most of the time." Paine answered, standing between Rikku and Baralai.

The group walked their way through the dead place until they reached the cheateu where Leblanc could most of the time be found at. Tidus narrowed his eyebrows at this place as he remembered the last time he was there. Inside the chateu was where Seymour Guado had proposed to Yuna. Wanting her hand in marriage to give the people of Spira something joyful to talk about.

Tidus shrugged of the disgust that came over him whenever Seymour came to mind and continued to stare ahead. Focusing his eyes on a lonely wall which only withheld dried up blood stains as its company.

"Leblanc!" Paine exclaimed, saying what everyone else besides Tidus had been thinking about. "Do any of you know if she was here when this happened?"

"No," Nooj shook his head sadly. "but last I heard of her, she said she was on her way to Macalania. Let's just hope she really was and hasn't returned before this disaster."

Yuna nodded, not really knowing what to say to a man who didn't really know if the person he cared for had joined this tragic fate or not.

She felt Tidus hand intertwine with hers from behind and she turned to see his encouraging smile during this awful moment. She gave a weak smile back and she felt him squeeze her hand with further encouragement, somehow hoping that he could transfer some of his bravery into her. With the warmth of his hand around her, Yuna felt as if she did grow a bit stronger and learned to accept what could not be changed.

"Do you guys think we should take a look around in there?" Baralai asked them all, gesturing towards the bloodsplattered doors of the inner cheateu of Leblanc's.

They all followed where he gestured at and remained quiet for a while. Each and everyone thinking of reasons as to why they should enter, and reasons as to why not.

"I think we should, if Leblanc has joined this fate together with Logos and Ormi it would most likely to find them in there than out here." Gippal said, trying to see the logic in it all.

"He's right. If we go in there we might be able to find out if Leblanc still lives or not." Rikku agreed, staying rather close to Gippal's side very much oblivious to the others at this moment.

Tidus not really knowing who this Leblanc was but figured it had to be someone close to them all decided to speak up slightly. "Let's just take a look then. What harm will it do?" he chuckled nervously.

"What harm will it do, you ask?" Baralai snapped, still being hard-headed and mean whenever he could towards Tidus. "How to know if the very cause of all of this is in there or not? What if it is in there? What harm will it do, you ask. We could all die, if you haven't been able to figure that out yet!"

"That's enough!" Nooj barked. "We didn't come here for this, we came here to inspect things and hope to find some clues as to what actually happened here."

"That's right." Yuna backed up. Inwardly she was utterly annoyed with Baralai's behaviour towards Tidus. Why couldn't he just believe in her and the others that Tidus indeed wasn't Shuyin?

Baralai's gaze remained glued to Tidus, showering him with coldness from his stare before he sighed and turned his back on him. "Fine, whatever. Let's just go on."

They all lined up to enter the cheateu, Tidus and Yuna being the last ones to enter.

The way through the door and the corridor was dark and quiet. It felt like ages before they reached the circular room with the two stair at both sides leading up to Leblanc's room.

So far they only saw dead bodies of her servants lying in pools of their own dried blood. Trying not to get too affected by all of this they split up slightly and each group took a staircase each to walk up on to later on meet in the middle. Bracing themselves to enter Leblanc's room, hoping for a miracle.

Entering the room and taking a quick look around before breathing out in relief they found this room to be the only one empty from slaughter and blood everywhere.  
So Leblanc wasn't in there to their relief, but that didn't mean that she was still alive.

"There's nothing here." Paine muttered as she walked around the room, searching for signs that could lead to any clue at all.

"Let's hope we find nothing that could indicate the worst." Nooj said before walking out of the room again. It reminded him so much of the woman who spent most of her time in there.

The rest followed Nooj out and down the stairs before they came to an halt.

"Let's check out in here." Tidus suggested, pointing at the door by the first floor, underneath the right staircase. He remembered that being the room in which they had met Seymour, right before he showed them Tidus' metropolis, _Zanarkand_, and had proposed to Yuna right after the vision of Yunalesca with her Lord Zaon.

A short nod came from Yuna before they all prepared to enter the room, relieved to find that one empty from death as well. Most of them preparing to head out again halted when Yuna asked them to wait as she remembered the secret backdoor entrance in the room. Suprising mostly Tidus more than anyone else when the secret passageway showed itself, Yuna went to enter first.

Walking down the stairs with a strange sound right behind her, Yuna soon stopped and turned around to face her cousin, who was feeding her hunger on a juicy apple.

"Where'd you get that from?" Yuna asked, her eyebrows slightly narrowed as she found it becoming a rather usual thing for Rikku to do.

"Didn't you see that huge table in the room? It was filled with food and fruits." Rikku exclaimed, taking another chew out of the red apple. "I couldn't resist the temptation."

"Seriously, only you can go and do that in a place you don't own." Tidus stated with a smirk towards the hungry blonde.

Yuna gave out a small giggle before moving on, happy that her cousin had lifted the mood a bit, even if it required the help of her stomach.

Soft laughs and chuckles was heard from behind her as well as the other ones joined in the lively moment with Rikku as its host and Yuna smiled as they went deeper and deeper down the tunnel.

Right ahead Yuna saw the first room, and if she remembered right it had to be Ormi's room. Not taking the time to enter, but only to cast a glance in search for any sign of living or dead the group continued when they found nothing in the room. Walking down the next corridor the silence became to much for the curious and clueless Tidus.

"How did you know of this place?" he asked Yuna, who he walked right next to.

"Found it during one of our Gullwing missions. Leblanc robbed us. So we spent a fair amount of time searching throughout Spira for her goons, knock them out and steal their costumes so we could infiltrate this place." she explained simply, remembering the mission so well. It would be a long time before she ever got to forget Leblanc's moaning and groaning when she had to massage her.

"Robbed you?" Tidus exclaimed amused.

"Yeah, a sphere we stuggled to get our hands on in Zanarkand."  
"Oh, I see. But wait..." Tidus trailed off, recieving a curious glance from Yuna. "You guys actually got robbed!" he laughed. With so much girlpower in the girl-trio he found it rather hard to believe that they had gotten robbed. But then again, he had no idea how tough Leblanc was...or were.

Tidus sure enough got a well-deserved slap on his shoulder by Yuna as she glared at him, faking the icy-cold expression behind her eyes.

They approached another room further down the corridor and Yuna remembered this as being Logos room. It was wide open and she only needed to step right in to inspect.

It seemed just like it had been when she gave her last visit there.

"Nothing here as well." Yuna sighed to the others.

"Let's keep looking in case." Rikku suggested.

With a nod or words of agreement from the group Rikku walked ahead down the corridor. Yuna went to join the group outside the room to follow Rikku when she noticed Tidus pass by her, entering the room beloging to Logos and gently sitting himself on the bed with a tired motion. Confused by his actions and even more confused in him not saying a word to her she turned around to enter the room once again. Forgetting about the others who continued walking down the corridor after Rikku, not noticing the ex-summor or bliztball player's absence with them.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked concerned, nearing his sitting form on the bed.

"Nothing, just feeling a bit dizzy. Just needed to sit down for a while, that's all." he answered, smiling up at her.

"Dizzy, you say?" Yuna questioned with a frown. Having a very itchy feeling about what the reason behind it could be. It didn't please her one bit either.

"Yeah, but it's almost over now." he said, before straightening himself up again to his normal height.

"Good." Yuna smiled, as she inwardly didn't know what to think of the situation really as she remembered what the Fayth had said.

_'...but there will be side effects. Such as moments where he might feel somewhat dizzy, headaches or maybe short moments of fainting and such. That will be because of us forcing an already forced dream into a deeper level...'_

"..Yuna?" Tidus confusing voice called out in question, bringing her back from the disturbing words she had repeating over and over in her head.

"What?" she asked, confused herself.

"I asked you if you wanted to join the group before they get to far ahead of us or not, and then you just spaced our for a few seconds. Your eyes unfocused, you seemed a bit far away..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice." she answered simply. "But yes, let's join the others before they notice our absence."

Together, hand-in-hand the both of them stepped out of Logos room to join the others ahead to continue their search for Leblanc and her friends. None of them hearing the far-off sounding footsteps that started echoing through the secret passage's corridors behind them.

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_**Okay everyone, that was it for this time. I'm sorry for the long message at the top. However, it was only for you to understand how things will be for a while. I hope to find that FF-spirit soon again, since I really did enjoy writing Once More, and somewhere inside of me I still do. It's just not strong enough at the moment. I hope this chapter didn't suck all that much, review with your thoughts etc.. Until next time!**_

Alexiel91 


	17. Chapter 17: A Place Like No Other

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my own characters..._**

Okay, a short chapter born out of boredome here. I thank all of whom reviewed and I hope to hear from you again:)  
I hope this chapter isn't too boring, but as stated, it was born out of boredome. But well, something new gets into it.. You'll notice it by the end. Well, the somewhere by the end.. I think thanks to this I might get my spirits of writing this a little higher, but well.. Nothing is certain. Do enjoy, and review :)

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Chapter 17 - A Place Like No Other

"What's going on in here?" Leblanc's frantic voice asked loudly.

"Leblance, you're alive!" stated Yuna, almost as loud as Leblanc when she turned around to witness the person behind her was Leblanc.

"Of course she is, but what happened here?" Ormi asked, his face slightly on the green side. He seemed to be sick of the scene he had witnessed above.

"We don't know, that's what we're wondering as well. But we went looking for you, hoping to find you alive."

"I'm alive alright, but this city isn't. I went away for a few days, and I return to this." Leblanc sighed. "As if it wasn't enough with the deaths earlier..."

"What deaths?" Tidus asked, making his presence known for everyone. He had felt rather on the outside since Leblanc showed up.

"Yuna, is that who i think it is?" Leblance wondered, taking catious steps back at the sight of the familliar face she had encountered only a week earlier.

"No, this is not Shuyin, if that's what you're wondering. This is Tidus, I've known him since I was on my pilgrimage. I assure you that he can be trusted."

"I'll be the judge of whom I can trust and not trust." Leblanc snapped, fustrated with everything going on. It was nothing short than confusing and wierd.

"Fine," Yuna sighed. "but I'll ask you what Tidus asked you. What deaths?"

"Logos, Ormi and myself were taking a coffe break in the Inn, in the middle of The Thunder Plains. When this strange, yet very handsome man entered. You know the saying, that looks can be decieving or whatever. I never thought of it to be this true until that man entered. I tried not to think much of it, we continued drinking our coffes. While he just stood there, looking around. Before we knew it he just approached us, asking us if our Logos was the one who had written the journal he held in his hand. He threw it on the table, and Logos immedietly recognized it as his own."

"Strange, how did he get a hold of it?" Yuna asked, intrigued.

"I don't know, he didn't really answer our questions. He was more like, mocking us and all. As we went to leave though, he didn't let us. Before we knew it the Inn keepers were brutally murdered. Blood was spilt, and all he did was turn his wrist in a swift motion. He didn't even near them. But that wasn't the most cruel part of it all. In the Inn, there was a woman and her child. They were clutched in each others embrace at the horror of it all. With a sudden speed he reached them, he smiled at the child before reaching his mothers' throat." Leblanc explained, the memories of that moment would forever haunt her. The images of the child's face still clear before her. "He said for her to rest in _p.i.e.c.e.s _before he ripped her head of her body, right in front of her son's eyes."

"Oh my..." Yuna gasped, he hadn't known the boy, she didn't even know what he looked like. But to have to witness such a thing ripped her heart for him. No better word than cruel and inhuman could fit into a person who made a child suffer something as horrible as that.

"I know, I thought the same. He eventually killed the child as well. But my thoughts back then was like...why couldn't he kill the child first and spare him the horrible images of his mother's head lying in a pool of her own blood on the floor? Why did he have to be so cruel to let the child last images be terror-filled ones?" Leblance asked, almost as if she was pleading.

"That's just...way too cruel..." Tidus muttered, shocked and disturbed. He couldn't find any deep words to fit in better at that very moment.

"Yeah, Boss and I were lucky enough to escape the same horrible fate thanks to Logos." Ormi said, his tone changing into a sad one as he mentioned Logos brave name.

"What do you mean?" asked Yuna.

"The strange man seemingly wanted Logos...he said something about Logos showing him some kind of door in the Bevelle Undergrounds." answered Leblanc, crossing her arms in a worried way across her chest.

Yuna's gaze fell down to the floor. The newly gathered information going back and forth in her mind, trying for find somekind of explanation to all of this. She could find none, as everything seemed so horribly wrong and confusing. Guadosalam and its people were dead, the Fayth's were not yet put to rest, Tidus was on a road that would either lead him to her or away from her again. Some crazed lunatic walked about in Spira killing innocent people, keeping Logos as somekind of hostage and guide to lead him to some door. Everything made sense, but at the same time it didn't.

"Hey guys, they're here," a chirpy voice called out for them all to hear. "and Leblanc's here too!"

"What? Leblanc?" a worried voice asked in haste, speeding up his pace together with the group over to where Yuna stood. "Leblanc!"

"Nooj!" Leblanc yelled out at the sight of him, his face was wrinkled in worry and despair. But as she flung herself at him, he did not care for the people around them watching.

He was only happy to have Leblanc safely back in his arms.

Yuna made no motion at the scene before her, as she perfectly understood everything even with her stare down at the unmoving floor.

"Everyone, we're heading to Bevelle."

"What? Why?" questioned Paine.

"Logos has been taken away by some crazed killing man. We have to save him and put a stop to this man before he kills anymore innocent people."

was all that Yuna let them on before she silently walked away, her mind full of thoughts and questions. Only hearing a few murmurs behind her she soon relaxed upon hearing their footsteps

following her out of the hidden passageway and back into the death roaming through Guadosalam. Slowing her pace down she let the other ones walk ahead of her through the dead bodies on the floor in their way to the exit. Ahead of her she saw everyone, except for Tidus as they almost reached the exit. Turning around she niether saw him behind her, and turning her gaze forward again she saw the group walk out of her sight as they walked out of Guadosalam. Where was he?

"Tidus?" she asked quietly at first, not recieving any answers. "Tidus!" she tried again, her voice louder and more forceful.

"Up here." she heard his faint voice. She had a good guess on where he meant. So she walked back into Guadosalam's depths until she reached the point of where she could walk up a ledge, almost as walked up some kind of hill. She continued the path until she saw his golden hair and straight back gazing back at her. He eyed the entrance to the Farplane intensely. She could've guessed why.

"To think that I was asleep in there for two whole years." he began, feeling her presence as she neared him. "It's crazy if you want to know what I think... to sleep in such a place for two years..."

"But that's all in the past now." Yuna softly said to him, walking up to where he stood. "Come on, we have to hurry before Bevelle ends up like this place."

Tidus turned to face her. "Why should we even care of Bevelle, Yuna? Don't you remember the many lies and secrets that place had? Have you forgotten how they betrayed their own teachings?"

"No, Tidus. I haven't forgotten. But Bevelle is and will always remain a part of me. If you haven't forgotten, I was born there."

"I know, Yuna. I know." Tidus sighed deeply. "I'm just not very fond of the city, but forget I questioned why you would care. I know that it's just who you are."

Yuna smiled a bit sadly at his words. "Yeah, it's just who I am."

_"Is it really that hard to change whom you are, summoner?"_ a voice echoed around them, startling them both.

"Who's there?" Tidus called out towards everything, and at the same time, nothing. "Show yourself!"

_"Pitiful human, are you seriously trying to order someone like me around?"_ the voice barked this time, distaste in his voice at the mere thought.

"It's not that I'm ordering, I just like to face whomever I speak to." Tidus explained loudly, looking around himself, all the time keeping Yuna close by his side. "Or are you too afraid?"

The voice laughed at this, it was a rather cold and forced laugh. _"Me? Afraid of showing myself in your presence? I have no reason of being afraid, as I have no reason of showing myself."_

"I take that as a yes then." Tidus mocked, still keeping a watchful eye at every aspect of the empty place.

_"I rather think you're the one being afraid, seeing as you keep looking around every few seconds. You're too tense, Tidus. You're afraid..."_

"As if!" Tidus yelled, he did not know what to think.

"Tidus, please.." Yuna whispered quietly, not knowing much herself. "Calm yourself."

_"You should listen to her... For she knows far more about you, than you do yourself."_ the voice said, more clearer than before. It felt closer and warmer this time.

Soon both Yuna and Tidus heard footsteps, coming closer and closer. Their eyes narrowed towards the tunnel ahead of them, leading to the room where the entrance to the Farplane laid.

They both watched in anticipation while feeling nervous, as the steps only grew closer. Then it came, the source of the steps. With a human appearance of a 25 year old male he stood before them with an unreadable expression on his face, gazing at them before speaking.

"Can you still call me afraid?" he asked, before a small smirk formed across his face.

"Who are you?" Tidus only asked, ignoring the man's question completely.

"A name has no meaning if the person carrying it does not want to be reminded of it. Beyond that I can only give you the pleasure of calling me Áthels." he introduced himself, bowing gracefully in a ridiculous manner, letting his braided black hair fall from behind is back. His eyes never leaving theirs as he straightened himself up again, carrying a silly smile on his face.

His voice told a different story, while his actions showed another. If he was a friend of foe was impossible to predict for Yuna and Tidus.

"Now if you excuse me, I must be on my way for I have important things to attend to." he hastily said, excusing himself as he walked passed them.

Yuna felt a part of herself force her to turn around toward the mysterious man. "Wait!" she called.

Áthels stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the confused woman. "Yes?" he questioned impatiently.

"Where are you from?"

Áthels pondered the question he had been given for a second before answering. "I come from a place niether one of you can imagine. A place niether one of you could ever dream of existing."

Yuna looked Áthels deep in the eyes, trying to figure him out in hopes that the eyes truly were the door to ones soul. But in his eyes she could find nothing, it was as if he had shut himself from any outsiders completely. "What is this place you speak of?"

The aching pain inside of Áthels reached none of them, he held his feelings on the inside and the cold expression on his face at bay. "_Hell_."

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Okay, this was what I meant. A new character of my own had been introduced, whom will have a story part somewhat.  
In my opinion he will feel rather enjoyable to write about, I feel closer to him than I do to most of my created characters in this fic. I hope you enjoyed it, even though it was rather short. It's almost 3AM here in the morning, feeling really tired..  
Do review with your thoughts of Áthels or whatever you may want to review on.. Thank you, good night:)

Alexiel91


	18. Chapter 18: Revealed

**_Disclaimer: Not taking credit for anything but the plot and my original characters._**

Well over two months it's been, and my writer's block still hasn't passed. No idea how to overcome this, so this chapter felt a bit forced, may be noticed.  
Many things has been going on, been going through a family loss, so forgive me if I really haven't had the time or effort to look this chapter over clearly.  
Still, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you all too much. Please do enjoy chapter 18 of Once More, and review with your thoughts.

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Chapter 18 - Revealed

"Hell?" Tidus questioned the strange man before them. "What is hell?"

Áthels smirked at Tidus' question. "Trust me, you don't wanna know, boy."

Tidus shook his head. "Would I be asking if I wouldn't wanna know?"

"Very well then, I'll tell you of hell." Áthels sighed after a while. "Ever dreamed of paradise? Ever had a fantasy of living in a place where all you could feel was pure happiness?"

Tidus nodded his head simply, thinking of how Zanarkand used to be his paradise. How it still was the fantasy place he dreamed of all the time, hoping to revisit it again.

"So hell is a paradise of joy?" Yuna asked Áthels, hoping she had catched on to what the older man was telling them, but the chuckle Áthels let out bothered her.

"Far from it." he continued chuckling. "It's the opposite. Trust me, you don't want to ever visit hell."

Tidus stepped forward, coming closer to Áthels. "So it's a bad place then?"

"Of course it's a bad place!" Áthels sighed. He soon let his hands rest on either side of his waist as he stared them down intensely, almost as if he was studying them.

Yuna watched his stare intensely herself, feeling a strange drawing to him. Something about him frightened her deeply, yet it calmed her beyond her imagination.

The man in front of her was not from Spira, he came from a place he himself clearly stated to be bad. Would that make him bad as well, she wondered?

"Who are you?" she asked after a while.

Áthels eyes met hers. "What is it to you of whom I am? A name has no meaning if the person carrying it does not want to be reminded of it. A personality has no meaning if the person having it does not agree with it. A body has no other meaning than containing the soul within us all. A feeling has no meaning if you cannot feel it. Who am I and who are you? Who is anyone of us if we cannot have these things and understand them? I have forgotten whom I am, but do you know who you are?"

Áthels words made no sense as he spoke them, she could not understand what he tried to tell her, but she answered his question clearly.

"I'm Yuna, daughter of High Summoner Braska and a member of the Gullwings." she answered, standing her ground strong.

Áthels smirked entertained. "Are you sure that this is really who you are?" he asked, confusing Yuna and Tidus even further.

Not even waiting for her answer, Áthels turned his attention to the young male beside her. "And you," he started, eyeing Tidus intensely. "You're not even real, are you?"

"Don't say that!" Yuna exclaimed loudly. Nothing infuriated her more than this. Nothing got to her more deeply than the circumstances of Tidus existance. "Don't ever say something like that again, you hear me?" she continued, glaring at Áthels with rage in her eyes.

Tidus stood speechless beside her, his eyes going back and forth between Yuna and Áthels, not really knowing his place in this whole conversation.

Áthels chuckle echoed throughout the dead city. "Can't answer for yourself, Tidus? Letting the woman talk for you?"

Shaking his head slowly Tidus continued being more confused than ever as every word leaving Áthels lips repeated itself in his head. He tried to speak. "I-I.. I'm not.. I'm not..real.."

"No, Tidus! Don't say that, you know that it's not true!" Yuna said, turning to face him with desperation in her eyes. "You're real, you know you're real!"

Narrowing his eyebrows in confusion Tidus looked at her, carrying the same desperation in his voice. "Do I?"

Yuna nodded several times.

Tidus gaze turned to meet Áthels smirking face, and his confusion just grew as the incoming headache attacked him furiously. He shook his head terribly, his hands flew in a protective manner around his head as he muttered in a pained voice. "No, no.. not again."

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, filled with worry. She neared him in attempt to hold him still as he was moving around in anguish. "Calm down, Tidus."

Tidus settled down as he was told and fell to the floor on his knees, still holding his head furiously. He felt Yuna sit herself beside him, and soon he felt her arms crawl around his shoulders as she tried to hold him. "I hate this, Yuna. Why is this happening? What's wrong with me?" he asked her, the headache faltering slowly.

Yuna shook her head sadly. "I don't know." she lied.

Yuna looked up for a moment while holding Tidus to see Áthels smirking down at her, making her feel uneasy.

A moment of silence passed where none of them spoke a word until Yuna felt Tidus moving around in her embrace, trying to stand up. She followed his movements.

"Let's go back to the ship." he said quietly. "Can't waste anymore time on this nutcase."

They both heard Áthels laugh at the comment Tidus had used to describe him, and they could not understand what he had found funny in it at all.

"I may be a nutcase, but at least I'm not a liar.." Áthels said to them, smirking yet again.

Tidus eyes met his askingly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh," Áthels started, his eyes darting between Tidus and Yuna. "Nothing special."

Tidus face turned cold and he started to walk away. "Let's go, Yuna."

Yuna was just about to follow him, when Áthels voice rang out again. "Not so fast, I must exchange some words with the ex-summoner for a minute or two."

"Forget it." Tidus stated, as if it was the most common thing he would say at this request.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, dream boy." Áthels replied, his voice growing colder. "I will have my words exchanged with her. What you think and want, certainly doesn't mean anything to me."

Tidus looked as if he was one step away from getting into it with Áthels before Yuna decided to speak up, and agreeing to Áthels request in order to avoid fight.

After a moment of convincing Tidus, Yuna told him to meet her back at the ship.

"What is it?" she asked, when Tidus was out of sight.

"In a hurry are we?"

"You said you wanted to talk, now talk!" Yuna sighed.

"Okay, okay." Áthels chuckled, holding his hands up in defeat. "On to business then. I know for a fact that you are the liar between the two of you."

Yuna's eyes softened in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You very well know what it means, ex-summoner. You lied to poor little Tidus about his condition. Is this the 3rd time? I haven't been holding count that much. But you certainly lied just minutes ago when he asked what's wrong with him, and you answered with your usual 'I don't know'. Is that the right way to treat your fading boyfriend?" Áthels asked her.

Yuna remained quiet, unable of knowing what to respond to her secret being revealed.

"Wouldn't be much fun if he found out, would it?" Áthels mocked, smirking her down.

"What do you want?" she asked him coldly after a while.

The smile that came across his face told her that he had awaited her to ask just that. What ever did he want from her?

"I'm not that familliar with this world, so getting myself around by myself would take too long, and I can't afford that happening." he explained to her.

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"I need you to give me a ride on that ship of yours."

Yuna arched her eyebrows suspiciously at him. "How do you know of the ship?"

"Well, except for the fact that your boyfriend spoke of it just minutes ago, " he laughed. "I know more about you than you can imagine."

"Is that so?" Yuna questioned him. "How come you seem to know so much?"

Áthels sighed smiling at her before slamming his hands together in a ready motion. "Look, I would stay around here and play 20 questions with you, if I had the time. But I asked you for a ride because of my lack in time. So let's get a move on shall we?"

"I never said that I accepted your request." Yuna stated with a cold expression.

Áthels sighed again. "Unless you want Tidus to find out that you lied to him about his fading reality, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice."

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"I've told you before, Jai. I can't get that parchment myself. If I could, don't you think I would've already?" Alyzzia spat at her servant with deep irritation. "I can't even touch the damned thing, thanks to my brother."

"But why, Alyzzia? You've told me that you can't touch it, but you never said why." Jai braved himself to ask. With each passing conversation he seemed to have with her, the more intrigued he became with her history and planning.

Alyzzia faced him coldly. "What makes you think I'd tell you anything about that, Jai?"

"Please, Alyzzia. Make me understand better, so I might try to help you better." he tried persuading her, with suprising success.

"The parchment is blessed by both heaven and hell. I should've been able to touch it, being blessed by hell myself. But when my brother imprisoned me centuries ago in our battle for power, he cursed me from ever being able to touch any blessed object that could in any way provide me to open another struggle over power with him in case I ever managed to break myself out from my prison."

she explained to him, settling herself on the soft cushion chair that Jai had once stood in front of when trying to convince Baralai into granding him access to the ancient old parchment.

He was amazed by Alyzzia's power in convincing and persuading. She had managed to get total control over Bevelle without much effort. How she did it, he would never know.

But he would forever be impressed by what she had managed to do.

"What about the other escaped one?" he asked her after a while of silence.

"Avernus, you mean?" Alyzzia questioned in reply. "He'll be here. Convincing him was a little harder than I had imagined, but he never was the smart one. If you name power in a sentance, he'll do just about anything to acchieve it. He'll even join forces with Satan's daughter whom is known for countless stunts and treachery."

Jai looked at her carefully. "That power struggle stunt you did really shook the underworld up, didn't it?"

"Yes," Alyzzia nodded. "It was the first unexpected treachery for power ever pulled in centuries. My father had always held the throne with immense strength. No one dared to defy him, not even I.

But when he granted Aztrax to be the next leader of the underworld, I brought up the courage of fighting my brother for the ultimate power."

"But you lost..."

"I've learned from my misstakes." Jai got in reply from her. Her voice was harsh, almost angry. "I will not lose to him this time. Not once I get my hands on that orb."

Jai stayed quiet, only looking at his masters' beautiful features as she spoke lustfully.

"Once I get my hands on the Orb of Twilight, I should be able to obtain the power I need to overthrow my brother and finally take the throne for myself."

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That's it for this time I guess.. Not sure if my muse will spark up anytime soon.. but do know that this story isn't deserted yet.  
Trust me when I say that I do think about it everyday. I will not let it hanging just yet.  
Til next time, review and thank you for reading. :)

Alexiel91


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